Chapter 7

Albus Dumbledore sat behind his desk deep in thought. Things were definitely taking a turn for the worse. It had been a month since the girl had disappeared, and he was at a loss as to what he should do. All his plans were ash without the girl, and if he didn't find her soon, then things were going to go downhill fairly soon. He would only be able to hold up his fiction of her being in training for so long, before people started to become suspicious.

He sighed in frustration. It was really annoying how easily the girl had gotten away. He had portraits patrolling the entire castle, and he had gone through each secret passageway and room that he knew of to see if she was there, and he'd sent people out to search Diagon alley and Hogsmeade. She wasn't anywhere to be found. He didn't have any leads either.

It looked like he was going to have to find someone else to be the Chosen One. It didn't really matter who, just so long as they could fade into the background once they were done. Someone loyal, and easily manipulated.

Albus smirked, ignoring the angry glares he got from the portraits on the walls.

He knew just the person.

Esmeralda was having loads of fun. She was currently crouched on a branch above a group of quietly talking death-eaters. If she pulled this off correctly, it was going to be awesome. All she had to do was wait until they were spread out properly.

She watched as the door opened, and the black-robed crowd began to move towards the throne. Now!

She leapt, landing perfectly on the head of a random, but rather tall death-eater, and took off again, leaving a yelling man behind. She leapt expertly from head to head, causing a flurry of yells to erupt.

"What the…"

"Hey!"

"Shiiit!"

"Geddit! Geddit!"

"WHAT IS IT? WHAT IS IT?"

"My hair!"

"Aaarghhh!"

"Watch out!"

Her final death-eater was one Bellatrix Lestrange, who released a terrified screech that was so high-pitched that Esmeralda almost fell off, before she punched her muscles and leapt again, landing perfectly on Tom's shoulder, before she slipped down into his arms. She blinked innocently up at him, and he glared at her. He was wearing his glamour today.

'Was that necessary?' thought Tom, glancing down at the smug cat in his arms.

'Oh yes' said Esmeralda, purring happily, 'it was loads of fun too'

"I see you have all become aware of my new familiar," called Tom out into the chaos, and Esmeralda watched with interest as everyone stilled almost instantly.

"New familiar, my lord?" asked Bellatrix, still twitching slightly, causing several people, Esmeralda included, to snicker.

"Yes Bella," said Tom, "this is Mera. You will treat her with the same respect you show Nagini. Am I understood?"

"Yes my lord," murmured his death-eaters, glancing at the black cat in their lords arms, visible only by her brilliant green eyes.

Tom had chosen Esmeralda's name a few days after they had made their deal, when tom had become sick of calling her cat. Esmeralda had almost falling over sideways when he had suggested Esmeralda, but she had allowed him the irony. When she had asked why, he had said it was because of her eyes, which were still a stunning emerald colour.

When he had asked why she was so surprised, she had said it reminded her of the sweet Esmeralda Potter. He had glared at her, and had almost instantly shortened the name to Mera.

Tom settled into his throne, and settled Esmeralda on his lap, stroking her gently. He looked around coldly, before getting down to business, "There have been reports of Dumbledore's power growing in the ministry, and several of my sources have mentioned that many aurors have joined the Order,"

"Many of them are trainees just out of Hogwarts, my lord," Avery interjected.

'And are all in Dumbledore's pocket, dolt' thought Tom irritatedly, before continuing out loud, while Esmeralda laughed.

"Who have been apprenticed to war veterans who are on Dumbledore's side," said Tom, "we are losing our ground in the ministry. Added to this is Esmeralda potter's disappearance,"

There was an outbreak of muttering amongst the death-eaters, stopped only when Tom shot sparks up into the air with a loud bang.

"Either she has been sent for some mysterious training with Dumbledore, or she has simply vanished, and the Old man is trying to save face," said Tom, "I am more inclined to believe the latter, due to the confusion experienced once it was noted she was missing,"

"What are we supposed to do about it?" asked a death-eater.

"We wait," said Lucius, glaring coldly at the man, "Is there any other news?"

"Dumbledore's been acting odd," said Severus, and Voldemort raised an eyebrow.

'Odder than usual?' questioned Esmeralda snidely in her mind.

"Odder than usual, you mean," cackled Bella. And Esmeralda stiffened in Tom's lap, while Tom sent a smirk down their link.

"Yes," said Severus, "Despite his claims that potter has left for training, he has been holding himself up with Neville Longbottom,"

'Poor Neville' shuddered Esmeralda, 'he's such a sweet boy. He doesn't deserve to be summoned to that old goat,'

Tom chuckled internally.

"Why?" asked Bella.

"If you remember, Bella," hissed Tom, stroking Esmeralda, "Longbottom was the other possible Prophecy child,"

"Not only that," interjected Severus, "He's also been summoning Granger and Weasley more often, and they in turn have been spending more time with Longbottom,"

"So perhaps Dumbledore has done something to potter," suggested Nott.

"No," said Tom, "I believe it to be more along the lines of her having run away,"

"And you think Dumbledore has tried to hide it," said Avery. He gulped when he was fixed with a red glare.

"What do you think?" asked Bella sarcastically.

'Is she really insane?' asked Esmeralda curiously, 'she seems to be using it as a mask so she can get away with more,'

'She's not completely insane, no' replied Tom, 'but she's not completely sane either'

They turned back into reality, and found that Bellatrix was screaming at Avery.

"Silence!" yelled Tom, and they quieted down, "Do we have any new reports on the order?"

"No," murmured the mass.

"Any new progress on any of our fronts?" asked Tom silkily, and Esmeralda shivered. She had often been on the receiving end of that voice.

"No My lord," they were even softer now

"Then it seems that I have no use for you," growled Tom, "Get out of my sight. I expect better by the next meeting,"

They fled.

"My Lord?" asked Bellatrix, once the rest of the death-eaters had left, "Is something wrong?"

"And why would you think that?" asked Tom, removing his glamour irritably.

"You weren't as rough as usual," said Severus, "You didn't even cruciate anyone,"

"Is it the cat?" asked Lucius.

"And why would you think that?" asked Tom, glaring at the blonde.

"Just a thought," said Lucius.

"Can I hold her?" asked Bella suddenly, stretching her hands out entreatingly.

"If she wants you to," said Tom.

'No!' said Esmeralda, before adding as an afterthought, 'makes her wash her hands first!'

"She wishes for you to wash your hands," said Tom.

"My lord?" asked his three lieutenants.

"She is my familiar," said Tom, giving a look that implied that they were being denser than trolls, "Meaning that we can understand one-another,"

"Oh," said Lucius.

"Why do I have to wash my hands?" whined Bella.

'Because they're filthy. I don't know where they've been, I don't want to know where they've been, and she looks like she needs a good bath,' said Esmeralda huffily.

"You don't want to know," said Tom, settling Esmeralda onto his shoulder.

"Fine," sulked Bella, as the four of them walked up to Tom's office.

"What are we doing now?" asked Lucius.

"Paper work," said Tom.

"Aww," whined the blonde, and Esmeralda stared at him.

'Isn't he supposed to be more dignified?' she asked.

'Only in public' replied Tom, 'but he's like that the rest of the time'

"You know, I think the paperwork just breeds when we're not looking," grumbled Lucius, pulling a pile of reports from the desk, and settling himself on the floor.

"And what do you propose we do about it?" asked Tom, putting Esmeralda on a specialised bed on the corner of his table, the only area not covered by paper.

"I know!" said Bella excitedly. She pulled a pile of reports from Lucius's lap into a waste paper basket and dumped the lot into the fireplace.

"Bella!" yelled Tom and Lucius at once, while Severus collapsed onto the sofa, laughing uproariously.

"What?" asked Bella, "Should I have waited till you were too bored to care?"

At this Severus's laughter went silent as he started to convulse with mirth.

'Is something wrong with Snape?' asked Esmeralda timidly, staring in terror at her potions professor.

'No, he's just more relaxed around here,' said Tom, before moving back to the issue at hand

"No!" said Tom, "You shouldn't have burnt it at all,"

"You threw a huge pile in last week," said Lucius.

"I'm the Dark Lord, I'm allowed to," said Tom snippily.

"So why can't I?" asked Bella.

"Because I say you can't," said Tom.

"You sound like a pair of children arguing," sniggered Severus.

"And how would you know?" asked Lucius.

"I deal with it every day," said Severus.

'That's true' sniggered Esmeralda, 'and when he compares you to the students he teaches, you know you've been insulted to the highest degree'

'Shut up Mera' thought Tom irritably.

"Why don't the lot of you shut up and get to work," suggested Tom coldly, "Severus, I'm sure you know where the lab is, Lucius stop whining, and Bella, no more burning reports. Some of them are actually useful,"

'What about me?' asked Esmeralda, '

Do whatever you want, so long as you don't leave the room, and it doesn't disturb anyone,' said Tom. He had learned to close all loopholes, in case she found a way to cause mayhem.

'Fine' grumbled Esmeralda, settling down for a nap.