Meanwhile, Voldemort was at Malfoy Manor.

He would have loved to use the Minister of Magic's office, but he needed to keep up appearances that the electoral system was still functional if he didn't want other countries to get involved in Britain's politics. He honestly had enough on his plate chasing the dismantled Order of the Phoenix and keeping his country from going into an all-out civil war, without adding a war against a coalition of foreign countries.

As he wanted to keep his activities away from his sons, he had no other choice than to use one of his follower's houses. And Malfoy Manor was, by far, the grandest of them all. Which is why he had transformed one of the tea rooms into an office for himself and put Pius Thicknesse behind the Minister's desk. The walls were in a cold brown color, and the only pieces of furniture in the room were a large oak desk, and a matching chair, covered with green upholstery. His "guests" didn't need to sit down, they should kneel and worship the ground touching his feet.

How he could get anything done with this bunch of idiots was a mystery even to himself. None of them came even close to his genius. No. Except maybe Severus.

This man, his son, has managed to fool him for two years, make a famous teenager disappear without leaving any clue, remove his Horcrux from a human soul with no damage to the kid, and somehow cloned himself. He was a renown and respected Potion Master that has fooled powerful wizards for half of his life thanks to his extraordinary mind.

Voldemort had to admit that Severus was truly a worthy Heir. A true Slytherin, with exceptional abilities in Potions, Curses, Spell creation and Mind magic. He was intelligent and was not afraid to push the limits of known Magic. Much like himself.

On the other hand, Sebastian was a pure Gryffindor. Raised to fight an evil Dark Lord, save anyone at the cost of his life… Well, not exactly. He had turned out to be more Slytherin than expected when he chose to save his own life instead of the Wizarding World. By doing this, he gave Voldemort Magical Britain on a silver platter and seemed to be fine with that decision.

Or maybe he wasn't and would change his mind. Kill him while he wasn't expecting it.

Voldemort sighed.

Trying to get his family together was putting him in a difficult position, not only at home, but also as a ruler of his community.

Severus had shared with him just a few days ago that he was hoping for some real change, and not just bloodshed. The problem was that Voldemort's base, the very people maintaining him in power, were bloodthirsty. He had only himself to blame for that.

Sure, none of them had the power to over throne him, but they were strong in political games, where he had no interest. If they chose to rally against him, a few well played cards could get him into an early grave. And without his Horcrux, he was acutely aware of his own mortality. The Prophecy was now void, since Harry Potter was no more, and anyone could try to kill him. Achieving that would be much harder, since he was, after all, formidable, but he wasn't ready to take a bet on that.

No. It was better to appeal to his followers.

If anything could be done in the political arena, it would have to be through them, with them.

Which brough him back to his current headache. Muggleborns.

So far, he had let his followers chase and torture them, but he needed a better plan than that. Severus and Sebastian would one day venture out of his mansion and see what the world has become. He needed them to like what they would see. But that didn't align with his followers' opinions. Hence the headache.

Voldemort called an elf to go fetch Lucius and Draco Malfoy for him. After two minutes of waiting, during which he gulped down a headache potion, he heard a soft knock on his door.

'Come in'

The two Malfoy men were tensed but tried to hide it behind a regal posture. The son, Draco, kept his eyes straight, avoiding any eye contact with him.

They walked to the middle of the room, right in front of his desk and kneeled.

'My Lord' said Lucius, 'How can we assist you today?'

Voldemort stayed silent for a moment, observing the two men bowed in front of him. That was a sight he could never get tired of.

'Rise. I called you both today because I would like your opinion. Well, not yours specifically, more like a general opinion from your social circles. You are both from generations of interest to me and, being the perfect example of worthy Purebloods, I thought it wouldn't hurt to know what your peers are thinking.'

'Of course, My Lord. I would be happy to report on anything. Any subject in particular?' asked Lucius cautiously, while Drago kept still and silent.

'Blood Supremacy' Voldemort couldn't see any reaction from the two Purebloods. 'I would like to know what people think of it, how we should structure our new magical society. It seems like not everyone agrees with our goals. I would like to know why.'

'My Lord, I can assure you…' started Lucius.

'Don't lie Lucius. I know for a fact that some people in both of your age rage do not agree with us. It's a matter of understanding what are their opinions and why. I would like to be… prepared, for an imminent discussion on the subject.'

'We will start our research right now, My Lord' said Lucius, knowing that now was a good time to leave. They made it without torture and shouldn't push their luck.

Draco didn't have the same idea. Bold with his recent successful mission, he stood still and waited for his Lord to let him talk. Bold, but not suicidal.

'Yes, young Draco?'

'My Lord, if this conversation is to happen soon, maybe I can give you a few answers with what I heard this past year in Hogwarts'

Voldemort was surprised. He had thought the boy to be the exact copy of his father, but he was obviously braver, and less radical if he already knew the information he was looking for.

'Go ahead Draco'

'Some think that there is no difference between Purebloods and Mudbloods. They think that some Mudbloods are very talented and that there is no difference in their magical powers. They don't see them as a threat to our magic.' Said Draco. He was careful to always talk about others, but he couldn't deny that Granger was infuriatingly good at magic. She shouldn't be according to the Blood Theories, and yet.

According to the Blood Theories, Mudbloods had weaker blood, which meant weaker magic. This was the reason why it was such a travesty to marry one. That would mean weakening the magic in your children. Who would want to do that? Some thought that Muggle blood could completely wiped the magic out of the children, giving only Squibs. The story of Thaddeus Thurkell and his seven Squib sons, turned into hedgehogs by their father, came to mind. Others even thought that Muggleborns were in fact Muggles who had found a way to steal the magic out of wizarding children, turning them into Squibs.

Draco didn't really know what to think about all that. He has been taught that it was the truth, and yet, going to Hogwarts with Hermione Granger had planted a seed of doubt in his mind. A seed that he kept hidden under anger, disgust, and mockery, but that he never really managed to weed out of his mind.

'Show me' and just like that, Voldemort planted his red eyes into grey ones a started searching for clues.

And he saw Hogwarts with children from all origins exceling in different subjects. He saw a bushy young girl outperform everyone else, a Muggle-born. He saw the seed of doubt, planted in a young brain that has known nothing but Pureblood Supremacy for the first eleven years of his life.

If doubt could be so easily planted, with that upbringing, something was wrong with those theories. Enough to raise questions in the young man in front of him.

Voldemort pulled out of Draco's mind with little respect for the headache that the young man would suffer for the rest of the day. He was plagued himself by them.

'You are surprisingly much more useful than your father, young Draco. You have served me well, again, and Lord Voldemort knows how to reward those who serves him. When your time comes, Draco, I will remember'

'Thank you, My Lord' and finally, both father and son were gone, leaving a puzzled Dark Lord behind them.

When Severus and Sebastian were done putting freshly harvested ingredients in jars, it was almost dinner time. After thoroughly cleaning their hands, they made it upstairs, in the sitting room. This was where Voldemort and Severus had spent their evening talking about latest potion discoveries. Well, it has mostly been Severus talking. Their father was a good potioneer but had none of the passionate love for the subject that could make him a Master. Something that Severus had from his mother.

They sat and quietly waited for dinner. They didn't want to talk, not when their father could surprise their conversation, so Severus opened a book a so did Sebastian. After months in the Muggle world, he missed magic. So, he decided to continue his learning of Magic. The last book he read was about Runes and he was tempted to continue that subject, he could spot a few books on counter curses, displayed on a small table beside the couch. It was hard to resist his calling for Defense Against Dark Arts. He finally selected "Advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts", by Galatea Merrythought, and sat in the couch when Severus' voice interrupted him.

'You should copy it'

'Hum?'

'The book, Sebastian. You should use that Quill of yours so you can keep a copy for yourself.' Explained Severus.

Feeling embarrassed to not have thought about it himself, Sebastian quickly ran to his bedroom and extracted the Quick Quote Quill and a blank book from his backpack. He was nearly out of books; he would need to ask Severus to duplicate more for him. That is, if they still wanted to use the Squib cover. But since their father knew anyway, he couldn't see how it would be relevant to keep it up. He would have to ask at dinner.

Back in the sitting room, Sebastian started to read his Defense book out loud, letting the Quill write his words in the blank book. After less than five minutes, Severus gave up on his own reading, closed his potion treaty, his eyes, and relaxed in the couch, listening to his brother's voice and the soothing sound of the quill on paper.

Voldemort was coming home late today. He had spent some time readying on Bond Theories after diving into Malfoy's mind. When he finally arrived, he followed the sound of a voice to the tiny sitting room. Silently cracking the door open, he saw Sebastian quietly reading a book to his brother. He must have made some noise because Severus suddenly woke, in the blink of an eye, was facing him with his wand in hand.

Not embarrassed to have been caught, Voldemort opened the door and smiled.

'If I had any doubt that you were a spy, I would be convinced now. Excellent reflexes, Severus. What are you reading tonight, Sebastian?' asked Voldemort.

'Hum… "Advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts"' said Sebastian while Severus was putting his wand away.

'Interesting choice. Do you often need to ready out loud to understand academic materials? Is that why my reports states that you were an average student at Hogwarts?'

'Oh no! No, I was just making a copy of the book to keep one for myself. About that, I wanted to ask you Sev, is it okay if I use my wand now?'

'Wait, wait. You were duplicating the book? Without using your wand? And why couldn't you use magic? It's your house, of course you can use magic.' Said Voldemort, feeling like he was missing out on a few important things.

'Sebastian's cover was to be a Squib' answered Severus. 'For that, we needed to prevent his name from appearing on Hogwarts' Book of Admittance. Which is why he had to stop practicing magic and focus only on magical theory and his muggles studies. Let's get some food and we can discuss that while having dinner'.

Voldemort continued the conversation as they were getting settled and the Malfoy's house elves were serving dinner.

'I can imagine why you needed to hide but using magic shouldn't be a problem now. After all, Dumbledore is not in Hogwarts anymore, so it doesn't matter if your name goes in the Book of Admittance. And you don't have to pretend to be a Squib anymore. You can go back to Hogwarts and to the Magical World.' Said Voldemort.

'Well...' started Sebastian, only to be interrupted.

'He cannot go back to Hogwarts. People there knew his old self and could recognize his mannerism. And I am not the one checking the Book. Minerva McGonagall is doing it every year and she would notice if someone his age was to suddenly appear on the Book.'

'Nonsense. No one in their right mind would think that Harry Potter is my son. And we just need to fake some grading reports from private tutors in another country, and no one will raise any questions.'

'So, I...'

'And how do you explain that he was in another country while never having to cross the border? I would be charged with smuggling or something just as ridiculous...'

'You are not making any sense, Severus. Of course, you wouldn't be charged with anything. And if you were, I could sink the case before you even notice there's one!'

'Can I...'

'Oh, so that's how you want to run things? Rules and laws won't apply to you and those you want to protect? This is not how society is supposed to work. I don't want anything to do with that.'

'WILL YOU SHUT IT?' yelled Sebastian, finally getting the attention of the two other men. 'I don't want to go back to Hogwarts. I don't want to see what you are doing in the Magical World, and I made good friends at St Anton. This is the first time that I had a full school year without begin in any major danger, and I want that again.' Sebastian stopped and tried to calm his heartbeat. 'And I don't want people to know that... I... Can I just go back to St Anton? Why can figured out a story that fits you if people where to discover that I am your son. Anything you like, really.'

Voldemort looked at Sebastian. He didn't want to be in the Magical World.

'So, you are choosing Muggles above your family.' This wasn't a question. Simply a disappointment. He had been ready to make efforts but that was obviously not enough for him.

'No. It's not that. You want to try this family thing and I am ok with it. But if people learn about Sebastian Snape, they will ask questions. And even more if I am known to be your son. And you said it yourself, our backstory is not perfect. It will probably never be. But more than anything else... It took a long time for me to really put my past behind me. Going back to Hogwarts is just asking for trouble. If you really want this family thing to work, then you need me to stay out of the Wizarding World.'

Now, that was a surprisingly Slytherin move in Severus opinion. Their father was now stuck between his wishes of a family and the hypothetical downfall of a bad publicity if someone were to learn that the Dark Lord's son is going to a Muggle school. Highlighting the danger of having a "Savior's Come-Back", and to be discovered as a fraud was the cake, and the "Family Dream" was the icing. Even if now the choice should be a no-brainer, this argument was still missing on the "Dream" part of it. So, Severus shimmed in.

'We can work more on the backstory, and we can include anything you link. But he has a point. There is only two ways for this family to work and it's if we align on your policies, which is unlikely to happen, or if we ignore their existence altogether.' Said Severus. 'Sebastian and I talked today, and we agreed on giving this a chance. We want to see if we can get the family we never had. With you. But for that, you need to let us become blind your genocide. You need to let Sebastian stay in the Muggle World.' And here came the dream. 'We could be happy here, with you. We could continue to discuss potions and spell-crafting. We could even go on vacation together! What do you say... Father?'

Voldemort stayed silent. None of what Severus and Sebastian said was a surprise, but he thought he would have had more time to think of an acceptable solution. The only surprising thing was that they would accept to be a family. Merlin, Severus even called him Father!

'Or maybe... Dad?'

Voldemort looked at Sebastian. Now this was unexpected. The boy wanted to call him Dad? In exchange for staying away for Magic?

'When you turn seventeen, you will resume your magical education. I will teach you myself, if necessary, but you will not become a blood traitor. We will find a good lie to explain your choice of schooling. And finally, I understand that none of you are convinced by the Blood Theories. But I need the Purebloods' support to achieve my goals. If... If I accept to discuss this with you and add some of your views in my policies. Would you accept to come back to Hogwarts and the Wizarding World?'

'I doubt that we can agree on anything when it comes to Pureblood Supremacy. But I don't intend to leave Magic completely. I would be happy to continue to learn it and use it. I just can't be around other wizards. It would be too risky. But we can try to discuss it and see where it goes... Dad.'

Voldemort's breath stopped for half a second.

'Say it again.'

'Hum... I doubt that...'

'Not that. Just the end.'

'Dad?'

Voldemort turned toward Severus, waiting for him to show his agreement to this arrangement.

'I guess we are going with that plan then. Dad.' Severus sighed, not specifying if the plan in question was Sebastian's schooling or calling Voldemort "Dad" until he miraculously became a Saint.

The rest of the meal was pleasantly silent. Sebastian and Severus were happy of their small victory and Voldemort was basking in the pleasure of his. His family was starting to exist. He had to sacrifice a little of his pride for it, but he had to admit that their argument made sense.

As the meal finished, they relocated to the sitting room where they started to share ideas about a lie that could explain the fact that Sebastian never attended Hogwarts.

Because they never had to really use their previous backstory, it had been easy to adjust it to satisfy Voldemort pride.

They settled that, because Parseltongue is easy and instinctive, it is often the native language of Parselmouths, and so Sebastian was starting to speak when he turned one year old, showing that he was a wizard. Only, as it isn't enough to qualify for Hogwarts, his name was not added at the time. A few months later, when Voldemort presumably died, and seeing the conditions of Severus' freedom, their mother panicked. She knew that she wouldn't be able to hold long under the beatings of her drunk husband. She discussed it with Severus, and they decided that being hidden as a Squib was Sebastian's best chance to avoid becoming Dumbledore's pawn like his older brother. Because magic is accidental in young wizards, they used a Dark Ritual to bind Sebastian's magic, effectively preventing any magical outburst. But also preventing him from entering Hogwarts. As the ritual only applies to children, Sebastian's magic would be freed on his seventh birthday and Severus made sure to educate him in magical theory during his childhood to help him control his magic when the ritual's effects would dissipate. Because he didn't have the level expected of a seventh year at Hogwarts, he would learn practical magic at home, recluse from the world. Which would be the lie letting him go to his muggle school.

This was simple enough to be understandable and integrated perfectly into the reality. But most importantly, it showed Sebastian as a victim of the ritual, and Eileen and Severus as worried mother and brother, desperate to protect an innocent baby from a manipulative old man. They all knew that, if this had been true, Dumbledore would have surely used Sebastian has an emotional leverage against Severus. Not the best position for a child.

This was enough for Voldemort. With a story like this, they wouldn't be called blood traitors. They would applaud by parents for protecting their youngest while working to eliminate the threat in time for the boy to be safe when he would become a wizard. Sebastian even agreed to lie and say that he had hated his forced time in the muggle world!

In the end, no one was fully happy about the arrangement and the lie, but everyone got something out of it.

The following day was rather similar with only a few differences.

They had breakfast together, but this time they all made an effort to keep the conversation light and enjoyable. They managed it and Voldemort was happy to hear that he was still being called "Dad" by his sons. His plan was working faster than expected!

Severus' day was spent researching on the interactions between the moon cycles and Dandelions flowers while Sebastian enjoyed flying on his new broom, being previously Disillusioned by his brother so no Muggle could see him.

Voldemort's day was less enjoyable than theirs, having to deal with ungrateful idiots and boring reports. Not even the one he had asked from Lucius the day before was interesting. It ended up being full of banalities. But he didn't need it to start discussing Pureblood Supremacy this his sons now. Thanks to the younger Malfoy, he had an idea of what could be their views, and he was also reassured that this would not completely put his plan in jeopardy. After all, he was their "Dad" now.

And so, it started at dinner this night and continued until the end of the month. Every night, they would debate over Blood Theories during dinner, before relaxing together in the sitting room. He initially started it the other way, by asking about their day first and debating afterwards, but the cold atmosphere at the following breakfast made him change the planning of the evening activities.

And for days, they would yell, and shout, and sometimes forgetting to finish their plates, too engrossed into their conversation. It would all calm down around dessert, and they would try to mend things while sharing a glass of Daisyroot Draught, a slightly alcoholic drink made from daisies. It wasn't hard enough to get tipsy over it, just a bit more relaxed. They couldn't deny that it had help cool things off some nights.

Over the last week of July, they all felt confident enough in their budding family to switch to a nice cup of tea. This was also a relief for Severus, who didn't want to see his new father become like the old one.

One thing that Sebastian and Severus never saw in the house, was the Daily Prophet. Or any kind of newspaper for the matter. Voldemort understood that the multiple raids against muggleborns that were happening outside of his walls could put a strain on their relationship.

And life went on, in their new routine, until that morning of July 31st. The day they each received a copy of the Daily Prophet at breakfast.

Hesitantly, Sebastian took his copy and unfolded it.

The Minister of Magic addresses the Nation: "We must clean our world from the Muggle filth"

He quickly put the newspaper back on the table and got up.

'Read it, Sebastian. I had to choose a narrative that is acceptable for Purebloods, but this will save the lives of many wizards and witches, including a certain Miss Granger'

'I don't want to read that.'

'Dad... This is a real step down on their rights, and their freedom. They wouldn't be able to marry outside of their blood status.' Said Severus, not even stopping from his reading.

'Yes, but they would be alive, they would still have a chance to be happy with their chosen partner, and the wizarding population would stop decreasing. I know you might not like all of it, but this is the best I could do' said Voldemort to Severus.

Now Sebastian was curious, but he still couldn't bring himself to read that dirty article.

'What does it say?' he asked Severus.

'Well, it says that since Muggleborns have stolen magic from Squibs they should give back to our community by... well, hum. By having children with other Muggleborns. It says that the children will be considered cleaned from their parents' crimes against magic if they are raised like proper Wizards and Witches. Those children will have the right to marry anyone they want up to the Half-blood status. And the generation after, will be able to marry even Purebloods.'

'Provided they are given the right education, of course. I turned the narrative to say that after two generations, the Muggle filth has been cleaned and that there is no reason to prevent new, clean blood from entering a Pureblood line. This would also stop inbreeding, but I didn't mention that.'

'This is wrong. They should be able to marry whoever they want, and blood status shouldn't matter.'

'And I respect your opinion on that but unfortunately, you are not running this country. I do. And even if this is not exactly what you wanted, you should focus on the good sides of this.'

'Which are?' asked Sebastian, not seeing what good there was in this new policy.

'They are alive' said Voldemort, looking right into his eyes. 'Considering that my plan was to organize and systematize the death of all Mudbloods, you should be happy that they get to live another day.'

Sebastian stayed silent at that.

'I did the best I could considering the people that are supporting me. I cannot do more than that for you Sebastian, and you will have to live with the fact that this is now the world that we live in.'

'I don't agree with that'

'I know. But maybe in a few years you will realize that this might be the solution for everyone to coexist peacefully.'

'And the Muggles?'

'The official message is to focus on increasing our population first. By the time it is done, the idea of killing all Muggles might be completely forgotten.'

'Are you fine with this?' This time Severus asked the question.

'No. I think it's a mistake not to attack them while we still have the element of surprise. But I also know that you would never forgive me if I did this. So, I am leaving this decision in the hands of the next generations. I only ask for one thing in return.'

'I knew there was a catch!' said Sebastian.

'Which is?' asked Severus.

'I want you both in the Wizarding World. Severus, you are the only one I can trust to run Hogwarts. I know the school was your jail for the past sixteen years, but it won't be if you have the keys to the door. You are qualified and you already know the professorial team. I need you there Severus.' He turned toward his youngest. 'And Sebastian, I know that we have established that you would finish your muggle education before finishing your magical one, but if you could accept to meet people, and maybe make wizard friends... I just want you to stay in our world. I was hoping this could be enough to avoid you running away from it.'

'We will think about it' said Severus, seeing that Sebastian was angry, and might say things they would come to regret.

'Thank you, Severus' said Voldemort. Feeling that breakfast wouldn't get better, he left the dining room and went to work, as usual.

Sebastian turned to Severus, furious.

'How can you even consider it? This is madness!'

'No, it's not. Considering the political situation, it's a rather acceptable compromise. And not losing the support of Purebloods means that other things are possible. You're being unreasonable if you think that he could just make it all Wonderland. Sacrifices must be made.' He stopped Sebastian before he could talk by holding his hand up. 'And no, I am not a fan of the narrative either. I think it's risky and opens the door to abusive situations. But I also realize that a lot of other subjects need to be improved and we can win all battles. Or did you think that the previous political situation was perfect?' asked Severus.

'Better than that!'

'Really? There already was prejudice, and corruption. The Minister and his friends were already ignoring the Laws and committed unpunished crimes. Nothing has changed here. Yes, Muggleborns will be seen as a breeding flock, but other right can be pushed forward now. With Pureblood support, we can finally reform our fiscal to stop paying both Muggle and Magical taxes. And what about reproductive rights, do you think that Miss Turpin deserved Azkaban?'

'What?' asked Sebastian, now confused. Lisa Turpin had been a Ravenclaw in his year. The girl was quiet and shy, and even if they never had to interact much, but he couldn't see her doing something that could get her into Azkaban.

'Let's talk about this in a more comfortable seat. This chair is killing my back!'

Sebastian laughed a little and they moved to their favorite sofa in the sitting room.

Severus let out a heavy sigh.

'You weren't there last year, and Dumbledore covered up the whole story. No one even noticed.' He stopped, sadden by this whole story. 'Lisa Turpin got pregnant last year, she was a Half-blood, and she didn't know about our laws. She went to the muggle world with her muggle parent to get an abortion. It would have been unnoticed if she didn't confide into one of her friends, a Pureblood who ratted her to the authorities. There was nothing we could do. She was charged with murder and sent to Azkaban for a life sentence'

He turned to Sebastian who looked horrified and continued.

'There are several things that need to change in that story. Education in our laws, easy access to contraceptive potions...'

'Wait a minute, I thought Mom contraceptive potions failed and that's why you were conceived.'

'Sebastian, she taught me potions when I was five. She didn't need to buy the potions; she could make them. But for anyone else... The recipes are not published in any books anymore. They are, at best, family secrets. And not everyone is skilled enough to brew reliably, you know that firsthand. What Mom did, brewing and taking contraceptive potions, was illegal. And when the potion failed, don't you think she would have preferred to abort instead of being forced to marry some random drunk muggle? And this is just what I know of the subject, with my limited knowledge. I never had to think much about contraception and pregnancy before.'

'So... This is all about giving Purebloods what they want to hear, in order to change other things and avoid other situations like Mom or Lisa?'

'Yes. I know that it is sad and revolting in many ways. But it's the only way to make change happen in today's political environment.'

Sebastian stayed silent, and Severus was starting to think that maybe it was a bit too much for him. After a minute or so, Sebastian turned to his brother with a determined look on his face.

'Then we need to fight. Only, this time the battle will not be with our wands. We will make all those changes that you are talking about. We can sway Dad into our direction. We can do it Sev. We just need to be relentless and never stop advocating for what is right. And when there are all done, we will fight to end Pureblood prejudice and get the Muggleborns the right to marry whomever they love. They may have won a battle, but I'll make sure I win this political war.'

At Malfoy Manor, Voldemort was worried. He was wondering if showing them the news had been a good move. He intended it to be a gift for Sebastian's first birthday, but it had backfired. He did everything he could, but it didn't seem to be enough.

After thinking about it for the whole morning, he had a quick lunch and chose to put this argument on the side of his mind, to focus on the reactions provoked by this announcement. This was far from fully accepted. From both sides. The Muggle lovers were angry and the Purebloods unsatisfied. Maybe this was the mark of a good compromise. No one is truly happy about it. No even his sons.

He spent the day dealing with the aftermath of this decision, had dinner at the Manor, with his followers where he explained his plan to "breed the muggle blood out of them". He was happy Severus and Sebastian couldn't hear him as the speech would have sound distasteful to them. But in the end, his most important followers got the message, and they would make sure that other would fall in line. Dinner ended late, and Voldemort, for the first time since reuniting with his sons, didn't want to go back home. He had one small victory at dinner and didn't want to ruin it by arguing with his son, again.

So, he stayed in his office and reviewed the most recent propositions of laws. They looked good to him. They aligned with his first goals; Severus would be happy with that. As well as most of his followers. The rest of the population would either follow or they would be too caught up in their fight for the Muggleborns rights that they wouldn't even notice before it's too late to change anything. He found a few that were more aligned with the bloodthirsty part of his ranks, and he set them on the side.

He would see what to do with them at the end of the summer. If by then Severus and Sebastian decided that they wouldn't be a family after all, then there wouldn't be any reason to hold these laws back.

Time would tell.

It was well into the night when he finally decided to go to bed. He left Malfoy Manor to his Mansion and was surprised to see light coming from the sitting room.

He silently approached and smiled at the vision of his boys, curled and asleep on the coach. He spelled a blanket on them, but the sudden weight woke Severus up in a startle.

'I didn't want to wake you up' whispered Voldemort.

Severus looked at Sebastian, still asleep.

'It's fine. We wanted to talk to you anyway. What time is it?'

'A little after two in the morning. I think whatever you wanted to talk about can wait until breakfast now.'

'Yes. It can.' Admitted Severus while trying to crack the joins in his spine to relieve his back. 'I should finish the night in my own bed.'

They both left Sebastian in the sitting room with a blanket on him. They stopped in front of Voldemort's bedroom, as Severus' was further down the hallway.

'Stop worrying for him. He can sleep alone.'

'What do you mean?' asked Severus.

'Severus, I am not stupid, and you are not the only one able to catch small details. I know that you have been sleeping in Sebastian's bedroom for the past month. And I think that he is old enough to sleep without you. He is in no danger here, so take you bed out of his room and get some rest.'

And with that, Voldemort opened his door and disappeared in the master bedroom. If Severus hadn't moved the furniture and got a good night sleep in the morning, he would have to order him to. He didn't want to, but this sleeping arrangement was only showing that they didn't trust him, and after a month living together, he could hope that they would at least trust that he wouldn't kill them in their sleep!

Severus walked to Sebastian's room and opened the door. He looked at the two beds cramped in the red and gold room. With a sigh, he realized that their father was right. They were safe in the house. If Voldemort had wanted to kill them, it would have been done already and he wouldn't have taken their opinions in account when dictating the new Muggleborn policy to Thicknesse. Thinking about that, maybe he could ask to receive the newspaper now that the attacks would slow down.

With another sigh, Severus shrank his bed and put it back to his bedroom. Once it was back to its original size, he embraced the room with his dark gaze. Much better. Red wasn't a soothing color to him. He very much preferred the soft green and cream theme of his one room. Clear and relaxing, perfect to clear one's mind.

The next morning, Severus woke up with the sun, having forgotten to close the curtains. He quickly got out of bed and prepared for the day. After checking at the breakfast table, and only seeing their father, he went back to the sitting room to wake up Sebastian.

The teenager was spread out on the coach, taking advantage of Severus' absence. Not that the older man would bother as his back was feeling much better this morning than the previous night.

'Sebastian' said Severus, while gently shaking his shoulder.

Sebastian opened an eye and quickly closed it because of the sunlight flowing in the room through the windows.

'Mmmf...'

'Come on, he is waiting for us.'

'Fine, just give me five minutes' said Sebastian still half-asleep.

Severus went back to the dining room, not trusting that his brother would make it in time but was nicely surprised when Sebastian walked in the room, only three minutes after himself.

'Good m'rning Dad'

'Good morning, Son. I hope that the night wasn't too bad,' said Voldemort. He knew his sons wanted to talk to him and was expecting the worst. He had failed before, of course. Remembering the Philosopher's Stone debacle was still painful to his ego. But he had really wanted this to work. Just for himself and not for his ambitions and plans.

'Mmmf...'

Severus laughed.

'It seems like our little cat has lost his tongue,' he said. To which Sebastian answered by very maturely sticking his tongue out, making their dad chuckle.

'Nah... we just wanted to talk to you' he said, turning toward Voldemort. 'About yesterday's news.'

Voldemort braced for the conversation that he could see coming.

'I am sorry. I really don't agree with any of this, but I see now that you did your best and I appreciate that. I am sorry I gave you shit when you...'

'Mind your language' interrupted Severus.

'Yeah, hum... Anyway. You did your best to save their lives and even if it won't be easy for them, they will be alive. And maybe, with time, people will calm down and we can give them more rights'

'Maybe. With time', while Voldemort seriously doubted that, he didn't say a word. He had expected another anger fit and was getting an apology instead. Who would complain?

'So, hum... I talked with Severus... About over things and it got me thinking. So, I agree to come back to the Magical World after I pass my muggle exams. You want me to make friends with wizards and witches so I will.'

Sebastian looked at his brother, hesitating to bring on the next subject.

'The first friend I want is Lisa Turpin', said Sebastian, waiting on a reaction that never came.

'And who is this young woman?' asked Voldemort, convinced that Sebastian was asking him his girlfriend from when he was Harry Potter.

'I don't really know her. We were in the same year but never got to talk much, only... Something happened to her. Something unfair. Sev, talked to me about Mom, her situation, and I would like to talk more about all that with you but, we don't really have much time. Lisa is in Azkaban and might die anytime. You've already got people out from there, criminals. Can you do it again for an innocent?' pleaded Sebastian.

'What was her crime?' asked Voldemort.

While Sebastian tried to find the right words, Severus answered for him.

'Abortion. She probably didn't want to spend her life with an abusive husband that she didn't even love' he said, effectively making a parallel between the young Lisa Turpin and their mother.

'I see'

There was a long silence.