Chapter 6: Sirius, Meet Tom
I'm still letting my muse guide me. She seems to be doing a good job of it, so off we go.
Thanks again for all the reviews. They are very welcome and appreciated.
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Snape showed up directly at seven. He was shown into the room by Mrs. Malfoy, who curtsied herself out. She was not welcome to share the meal, or the talk, and she knew it. She didn't bother to ask either. She was not interested in what the men were talking about. This way she could claim that she had no knowledge of the crime they were discussing. She just hoped they kept her child out of their nefarious deeds.
"My lord," Snape said, bowing his head in respect. He knew, for all he was given leave not to grovel, he was not this man's equal. "I have come as you wished," he said, not sure if he was joining Voldemort for the meal on the table, or if he was just getting orders.
"Come, Severus, let us partake in the Malfoy's generous bounty," Voldemort said, waving at the chair opposite of him. "Tell me, how are you faring at Hogwarts? Has Dumbledore noticed your change of heart?" he asked, serving up some Beef Wellington.
The table was filled with a large amount of food. Enough to feed at least five people. There were three different main courses, one was the prementioned Beef Wellington. There was also some roasted chicken and lamb chops. There were a variety of breads, potatoes, pastas, vegetables, and fruits as well. Condiments were plentiful too. The two men would not want for food.
"If he has, he has not made comment. However, I am sure that it has not gone unnoticed," Snape said, serving himself some mashed potatoes with candied carrots. "I have not hidden anything. He will remark on it soon, I am sure," he added, setting his fork down and placing his napkin in his lap. He was surprised the man had not said anything as of yet. Maybe it was because Voldemort was back and Albus was too hung up on that.
"And what of the Order? Are they even looking in the right direction?" the Dark Lord mused with a chuckle. He was not worried about them in the least. He wasn't doing anything to warrant their attention. Not yet, anyway. He was going to soon, but he was going to make sure that he had most of his soul together first.
"They guard a prophecy," Severus said, taking a bite of his roasted chicken, giving a small groan.
"That old thing? Whatever for?" Voldy asked, laughing aloud this time. He didn't think it was important anymore, not since he no longer feared death. He was not going to welcome it with open arms, but he wasn't going to run from it either. Dumbledore could chase shadows all he wanted.
Snape finished his mouthful and answered, "Dumbledore is certain that you will try to retrieve it soon. It has been the basis of all the meeting thus far." He bit into a candied carrot and relished the deliciousness of the vegetable. Nothing beat house elf cooking, no matter what Molly said.
"That is the furthest thing from my mind, but if that is what he thinks, I think I will give him what he wants," Tom said, still laughing. "I will start sending my Death Eaters to try and retrieve it for me," he said, thinking on who would have the best chance of succeeding. Though there was that pesky thing that only those the prophecy was about could touch it. Well, they could make the attempt anyway. He might use the orders to cull the herd, so to speak.
"Are you sure that is wise?" Snape asked, wiping the corner of his mouth. "It might make Potter think that you are your old self," he added at the arched eyebrow he got. "I thought we were trying to get on his good side?" he said, not wanting to sound like he was chastising the Dark Lord.
"I need to speak to Black. You have seen him?" Voldy asked, changing the subject slightly. He knew the other man was in Black's house, they had to have interacted at least once.
"I have," the potions master said with a sneer. "I have yet to talk to him alone," he added with a huff. "The headmaster has interfered each time we have tried. I know he wants to thank me for Pettigrew, but we have yet to even do that," he finished with a sneer. He was still loath to talk to his old tormentor.
"Go tonight, when the headmaster doesn't know you will, talk to him and ask if he will meet with a friend of yours. We will meet at the Leaky Cauldron. I will be in the tavern, under a glamor, in the back. You will recognize me, as I will look like this," he said, pointing his wand at his face. He looked like the diary him. He was much younger looking with dark hair and a nose. He looked to be around twenty-two. His dark hair was curly and fashionable. He was nothing like the snake-faced man he had come back as.
"Yes, my lord," Snape said, studying the young face. "I will attend to this right away." He went to stand and go, but he was stopped with Tom lifting his hand.
"Finish your meal first."
"Yes, my lord."
They ate and talked about how to get Greyback into a trap, but they were thwarted with lack of Death Eaters. Most of the ones that were not in Azkaban had grown soft. Too long had they been sitting on their laurels. They hadn't had to do anything remotely like fight since the Dark Lord had been vanquished.
Tom might have to break the few that were in Azkaban out, if only to kill them later. He might have to recruit Greyback for the breakout, and then kill them all at that time. That might be a better option. If he could tip off the authorities and make it a trap for all of them. Play it out, work a deal with Bones. Something to think about.
Soon it was time for Snape to leave. He bowed to his lord and made sure to thank Narcissa for the wonderful meal. He was a friend of the family after all. Draco tried to get him to tell him what they had spoken of, but Snape brushed him off. Mrs. Malfoy was grateful for that.
Severus made his way to Grimmuald Place without issue. He knocked on the door, and he was impatiently waiting for someone to answer. He knew the Weasleys had yet to move in, that was scheduled for the day after tomorrow. However, he knew there were house elves in the house. He should not be made to wait.
"Yes?" was a voice from behind the door. It sounded like Potter. Where were the elves?
"Open the door, Potter," Snape said, hoping the boy wasn't dumb enough to do just that. He truly hoped not, that would be a hard habit to break. Especially since the boy hated him.
"How do I know you are who I think you are?" came the questioning reply, which made Snape feel better.
"I think you are a complete dunderhead," Snape said, like that was answer enough.
It wasn't. "That's not good enough. Anyone who was Snape's student could give that answer," Potter said, a sneer was in his tone.
"I hate your father," Snape tried again.
"Still not good enough," Harry said, then added, "But you're getting closer."
"I once took your Quidditch book," Severus said, hoping that was the right reply. "When you went to get it back you saw my leg was bitten," he added for good measure. Only Harry Potter and Filch knew that.
"Okay, that will do it," Potter said after a long moment. Only Hermione and Ron knew that. He opened the door and let the dour man in and moved out of the way. "What can I do for you, Professor?" he asked, after he closed the door.
"Where are your elves? Why did you answer the door?" Snape asked, it was bugging him.
"Dobby answers for anyone, so we banned him from doing it, and Kreacher is just being an arse," Harry answered, looking at the man to answer his first question.
"I am here to speak to your guardian," the potions master said, looking around the hall and noting that it still looked a lot better than the first time he had entered the house. Then it had been drab and dark. Now it was clean and bright. Oh, the wonder of house elves.
"I'll go get him," Harry said, showing Snape to the living room. he then took off like a shot. Typical teenager. He was back a few minutes later followed by Sirius.
"You wanted to see me," Black said, taking a seat in a chair as far away from Snape as possible and still be in the same room. Harry sat on the sofa between the two men.
"Yes, but this is not a conversation for children," Snape said, looking at Harry like he would leave by that look alone.
Harry huffed. "I'm getting tired of being shunted out of every conversation in this house," he stated, folding his arms across his chest. "You know I'm not some kid, right?" he asked, looking at his godfather, who usually told him most of what was going on anyway.
"There is a Dark Lord running about. His intentions towards you are unknown. You are not going to be privy to those talks," Snape pointed out. He then pointed to the door in a meaningful way.
Harry got up and stomped out the room. He was going to make Sirius tell him what they talked about, if he had to use the puppy dog eyes. That always made the man cave.
Snape didn't trust that, so he raised his wand with a questioning gaze to Sirius, who gave a laughing consent. Severus waved his wand and put up a silencing charm. "I have a friend who wants to meet you," he said, not one to beat around the bush. "He was instrumental in capturing Pettigrew," he added, making sure to sweeten the pot.
"Oh," Black said, stopping himself from making the snide remarks that he was about to make. "Why does he want to meet me?" he asked instead. He did tell himself he'd play nice with Snape for Harry's sake.
"You have something in your house he requires," Snape said, looking around the room, like it was in there with them.
"Do you know what it is?" the dogman asked, he too looking around like he could spot it.
"No, but I know your brother had something to do with it," Snape responded. He looked back at Sirius to see how he took that news. "It had something to do with stopping the Dark Lord," he added, hoping that would help.
"Regulus was a Death Eater," Sirius said, bitterness in his tone. He partially blamed himself for Reggie's fall to the dark. Maybe if he hadn't left, he wouldn't have listened to the bullshit his mum spewed. However, Sirius had no choice but to leave when he was sixteen. His mum and dad had kicked him out of the house, though they told everyone that he had run away. He chose to say that too. It sounded more rebellious.
"Not at the end," Severus replied, having heard the tale from Voldemort. He had laughed with the other man over Regulus having gotten one over on the Dark Lord. Voldy had found it funny. "In the end, he defied him," he said, voicing his thoughts without the humor.
"Truly?" Sirius asked, sounding so hopeful that Snape was sure that he would be brokenhearted if he lied, which he was tempted in doing.
"Yes," he said instead. He knew lying would get him in trouble with both Voldemort and Potter.
"I never knew. Yet, you say you don't know what it is?" Sirius asked, looking around the room again, like it would just jump out at him.
"I do not," Severus reiterated, still staring at Black. "Will you come?" he asked.
"First, I have to thank you for turning in Peter," Sirius said, grounding it out like it hurt. "I promised Harry I would try to get along with you, and I will. I know there's a lot of bad blood between us, but for Harry's sake, I hope we can at least not fight," he finished, standing, and moving closer to his rival, holding out his hand in peace.
Snape sneered but shook the hand that was offered. "For Potter's sake," he said, his voice like gravel.
"Now, let me tell Harry that I'll be gone for a while. I'm sure he'll be fine here with the house elves," Sirius said, moving to the door. He left the room to find Harry waiting outside.
Snape waved his wand and dropped the silencing charm.
"Can't I come with you?" he heard Harry ask from the hall. Snape could hear the puppy dog eyes being used.
"Where are we meeting?" Black asked Snape as he led Harry back into the living room.
"The Leaky Cauldron," was the answer.
"Yes, then you can come, but you have to sit at a different table," Sirius said, giving the boy a winning smile, making Snape groan internally.
"Are you sure that is wise?" the dour man asked, not liking it one bit. It was a public venue, but a lot could go wrong.
"He'll not bother us," Sirius said, looking at Harry to confirm that, who nodded eagerly.
"Fine, but I still think it's a bad idea," Snape said, leading the way to the kitchen where he knew the floo was. He went first and was waiting for the other two when he spotted the Dark Lord, who was in the back corner, with a tea service for three sitting on the table.
Black came next, looking around the room as if to see who was waiting for them. He turned to the floo just in time to catch Harry as he came flying out of the fireplace. "You really can't floo well, can you?" he asked with a laugh.
"Well, no one has bothered to teach me," the boy grumbled, wiping the ashes out of his eyes. He took his glasses off and started trying to clean them with a clean part of his shirt. He put them back on when he could see out of them. He looked around and spotted Voldemort in the back of the room. He drew his wand and marched back there. He wasn't going to make a scene, but he wasn't going to let the man hurt the innocent people here without a fight.
Snape groaned and followed. He knew it was a bad idea to bring the boy. How had Potter recognized the Dark Lord under his glamor? If Snape hadn't seen it only an hour before, he would not know who the man was.
Sirius followed too; his wand drawn. He had no idea why Harry was advancing on this young man, but he was sure there was a valid reason.
Harry calmly sat down; his wand pointed at the Dark Lord. "Tom, why are you here?" he asked, seeing the man was sitting there drinking tea without a care in the world. "Casing the joint?" he asked, looking around as if to see who the man's next victim was. "I won't let you hurt these people," he added, his eyes flashed with determination.
"I am here to meet your godfather," Voldemort said, putting down his cup and looking at Sirius with a lifted eyebrow.
"Harry, care to introduce me to your friend?" Sirius said, sitting next to his godson, with his wand on the table ready to start cursing at the least indication of need. He still had no clue what was going on, but he was ready to defend Harry.
"Sirius Black, meet Tom Riddle, also known as Voldemort," Harry said, as if he was introducing his best friend. He didn't lower his wand an inch.
"Are you fucking kidding me?" Sirius said, picking up his wand and raising it to match his godson's. His mind in turmoil. He knew Harry said the man was different since he had been reborn, but this? This was completely bizarre.
"A pleasure," Tom said, picking up his cup and taking a drink like there weren't two wands pointed at him. He was not worried a single bit about it. These two were no match for him, that and he wasn't going to start a fight. Not with them. He was just glad that he had put up a privacy ward before they even arrived, or there would have been panic in the building. They hadn't been quiet in the least.
Snape sighed and poured himself some tea and doctored it to his liking. He lifted the pot to the two who were still holding their wands up, only to be glared at. He shrugged and set it down. He then took up his tea and blew on it and took a sip. Voldemort could tend to these two.
"You-Know-Who is the friend you wanted me to meet? Are you out of your fucking mind? He wants to kill Harry," Sirius said, pointing his wand to Severus, who just raised an eyebrow.
"No, I don't," Voldy said, still sipping his tea. He waved his hand and both Harry's and Sirius's hands hit the table and didn't move again. Their wands appeared to be stuck too.
"Bad show, old man," Harry said, jerking his arm on his stuck hand. He moved his left hand to pull at his right, but it was well and truly stuck.
"I'd invite you for some tea, but you appeared to be caught," Tom said, a smirk on his face. "Can you not point a wand at me for a few minutes to hear what I have to say?" he asked, looking between the two.
"Fine," Harry said, wanting to hear what the man had to say. He had questions he wanted answers to.
"Harry, it's the Dark Lord," Sirius said, like that was the end all.
"I told you he's different. It can't hurt to hear him out. Besides, it's not like we could win if we fight him," Harry said with a shrug. It was true after all. They were not adequately prepared to fight right now. Perhaps if they had not been caught by surprise. Or if they weren't in a building with a ton of people, they had to keep safe.
"Fine, say your piece," Sirius said, his voice gloomy that Harry was right. He was thinking the same way.
Tom waved his hand and released theirs. "When I was young and reckless, I created horcruxes," Voldy started only to be stopped when Sirius hissed.
"You what?" the dogman said, his voice in a whisper as if not wanting to say it out loud. "As in more than one?" he hissed. It almost broke his mind that someone would be stupid enough to do one, let alone more than one. This must have been why Regulus had turned. All the Blacks were taught at a young age to never mess with the soul.
"Yes," Tom said with an arched hairless eyebrow. "Like I said, I was young and reckless. I regret that now. Your brother caught me out and took one from me. I require it back so that I may reabsorb it," he finished, he took another sip of tea, then set his cup down and poured the two others a cup to fiddle with.
"How do I know that is what you are going to do with it? You might just want to re-hide it," Sirius asked, looking into the Dark Lord's eyes as if to see the truth there. They looked sincere but this was a Slytherin of Slytherin. He was a master of deception.
"I could give you a vow, but I am a Dark Lord, I know my way around those. I can give you an unbreakable vow though, there is no way around those. However, I will not do so here," he said, waving to indicate the tavern.
"I'm not letting you into my house," Sirius said, with a great deal of indignation. Not only would Dumbledore throw a fit, more importantly, it would put Harry in danger. It was bad enough that Snape had the secret. Especially now that they knew he was in cahoots with the Dark Lord.
"How about the Shrieking Shack?" Harry suggested. "No one will go there," he added, knowing the school was mostly empty this time of year. Those that were still there didn't venture to the grounds at night. Well, maybe Hagrid, but he never went to the shack.
"That's a good idea," Sirius said, looking to Snape and Riddle. They both nodded their agreement. The four of them got up and made their way to the floo. "We're going to Hogshead," Sirius said, looking at Harry.
The other two grownups nodded in agreement. It was a good place to meet up that no one would question them.