Chapter 14: Tom's Happy Heart
The problem is, is that writing is my comfort zone. So even when I'm in pain, I reach for the keyboard. Blast and damnation. Pain pills have their own downfalls that I try to avoid, and the one helping aid that I thought I had found isn't working anymore.
So, here you go, another chapter. Muse for the win. You will know if my hands finally win the fight.
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Tom didn't even stop to think, he just let loose with the pain curse, causing Narcissa and Draco to scream. Each for very different reasons. He only held it for a count of three, but it was enough. "Do not ever talk to me that way again," he said, his voice smooth and quiet.
The teen laid on the floor wheezing and sweating, like he had run a marathon and was out of shape. He was trembling from head to toe. His ragged breath was the only thing heard in the dining room for a moment or two.
"He is sorry, my lord," Narcissa said, wanting to run to her child, but not daring in case the man cast that curse again.
"Let him speak for himself. Perhaps if you had not spoiled him so, he would have better manners," Tom said, glaring at her this time. Between Lucius and this woman, this boy didn't know a smidgen of common sense and thought himself above everyone. It would take more than this simple lesson to remind him that he was not at the top of the food chain.
"Yes, my lord," she said, shaking from head to toe, with fear and anger. Oh, yes, she was very angry at the Dark Lord, but she was not as foolish as her child as to think she could show it. She knew she would wind up in the same position as Draco, then she would be no help to her son.
"Get up, you foolish child," Tom said to the still whimpering Draco. "That was barely a taste of what I will do to you if you ever speak to me that way again. Get up, I say," he said, again, lifting his wand threateningly.
He wouldn't use it again, not so soon. He might want to teach the child a lesson, but he knew that Harry would not approve of him torturing a teen. That short single blast was minor to what he wanted to do to the brat. And he wasn't going to tell Harry that he had done it. However, Draco Malfoy needed to learn to never talk to him in such a deplorable way again.
Draco dragged himself off the floor, using the table for support. His limbs were shaking with the effort.
"I am sorry, my lord. I let my anger get the better of me," he said as he finally stood, his head lowered in deference. That was the worst pain he had ever felt in his pampered life, not even when the mudblood had hit him had he felt such, and he never wanted to feel it again. He was still upset that his fortune was gone, but he knew he had messed up.
If he was to get the Dark Lord on his side, he needed to be more careful in his words and actions. He knew that if he followed the Dark Lord that somehow the man would help him get his riches back. He knew it in his bones. So, he would behave and do as he was told. For now. He would come out on top again one day. He was a Malfoy after all. They were at the top of the ladder.
"You will remember this next time you try to speak to your betters in such a manner," Voldemort said, sitting back down to his now cold lunch. He pushed it away and called Topsy to bring him something British. Soon enough there was some roasted chicken and mashed potatoes in front of Tom. It was left over from yesterday's dinner, but it wasn't French, and he could pronounce it.
They all ate in silence. Each Malfoy were left to their own thoughts. The Misses was thinking that more than ever she wanted the man out of her house. The younger was happy to have the man there, if only to use as a steppingstone back to the top. The man in question was indifferent to what they thought.
When lunch was about over, there was a tapping on the window, and Narcissa went to let the owl in.
It flew to Tom, who took the missive and read it. He cringed at Black's idea of code, but he got the gist. He also wondered why the man was so upset that he had written Bones. Wasn't that a good thing? Wasn't Harry happy that he was going to take the legal route?
"Narcissa, floo Severus and have him attend me. I will be in the receiving room," he said, tucking the letter in his robe and leaving the dining room without looking back. He was done socializing with the Malfoys for the day.
Narcissa gave a sigh of relief, and Draco just sat there shaking from the curse and the news that he was not the Malfoy heir. He had no clue what to do from here. He knew the Dark Lord would help him and he had mentioned Black. Did that mean his mother had written the man? Did that make him the heir to the Black fortune? He could live with that, though he would see the Malfoy name mean something again. His father's mistake, notwithstanding.
Mrs. Malfoy did as she was bid and called Snape. She was worried that if she did not, he would turn his wand to her child again. She would be talking to Draco when she was done.
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Snape hurried into the room, not wanting to make Voldemort wait. Narcissa had said the man was in a mood.
"You have need of me, my lord," the potions master said, bowing his head, looking around the room and seeing there was no tea set up. He was used to sharing a cup with the man.
"There is no time for pleasantries today. I have had my fill of them anyway. Go to Black and tell him we can meet at the Shrieking Shack in one hour," Tom ordered, wanting to get it out of the way now. "Tell him to bring Potter," he added, wanting to see the boy. It had been too long, and he wanted to make sure the teen was okay.
"Yes, my lord," Snape said, and he turned to do as ordered. He had been going to report that Minerva had told the other teachers of his missing dark mark, but that could wait until this meeting was over. He made his way to the apparation point and disapparated to Grimmuald Place's doorstep. He knocked on the door and waited.
Harry answered the door in his usual manner. "Who's there?"
"It is the man who hates your father and thinks that Tom Riddle is not the bad man everyone else thinks he is," Snape answered, hoping that was enough.
While he didn't think that the boy did. He knew for a fact that Tom Riddle was still a Dark Lord. He might play a good game, but he was still not a nice man. Still, he might be just what the wizarding world needed to get out of the dark ages. The good guys just weren't cutting it. Not from what he could see, anyway.
Harry opened the door. "Professor," he said, letting the man in. "What brings you here?" he asked, leading the way to the study, where he and Sirius were still sitting.
"My lord wishes to speak to you two," the dour man said, following the teen through the house. "Is there anyone else here?" It wouldn't do for them to be overheard.
"No. Tonks was here earlier, but she had to go back to work," the teen said as they walked. They made it to the study and Harry took one of the chairs, and Snape took the sofa. Dobby popped in with a glass of whiskey.
"Isn't it a bit early to be drinking?" Severus asked, taking the glass, but setting it aside on the table in front of him.
"It's never too early to drink," Sirius said, lifting his glass, which was still his first. He wasn't a heavy drinker; he just like to sip on one for a long while.
"Spoken like a true alcoholic," Snape said, remembering his father said much the same thing when he was younger.
"I'm just kidding. We've had a long, entertaining day. This is my first one," Sirius said, putting his glass down and motioning Snape to get on with why he was there.
"The Dark Lord said he can meet you both in an hour at the Shrieking Shack," Snape said, picking up his glass and taking a sip. It was wasteful not to.
"This early?" the dogman said, looking at the clock. It was only three in the afternoon. "Isn't he worried that we'll be seen?" he asked, it being his concern. They could side-along apparate, to avoid the afternoon traffic in Hogsmeade, but still it was quite early. He was hoping for the cover of darkness.
"There are hardly any people around that area any time of the day. And given that it is summer, there are even less people now," Severus said, looking at him as if he was one of his slower students.
"Ah, right, most of the professors have lives outside of the school. I forget that," Black said, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. It was hard to remember they were people too. That they had families and friends outside of Hogwarts. And that they visited those families during the summer months.
"Okay, let's go get ready," Harry said, wanting to freshen up a bit. Not that he was trying to look pretty for the Dark Lord, but he was still grimy from shopping and lunch and didn't want food in his teeth when talking to others.
"Okay, give us a minute," Sirius told Snape, and the two of them went to the various loos around the house and washed up. They met back in the study and then decided to just go to the shack and wait. They could just talk strategy there.
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Tom waited the full hour before he left, then he apparated straight to the shack. He was surprised when he found the other three there waiting for him. They were sitting on a dilapidated couch that looked like it had been torn up by a werewolf, which it had. They seemed to be talking about school and what was going on with the teachers during the summer months.
"I see we are all here," he said as he came into the house. He looked around and saw the whole house was torn apart. He never understood why there was furniture in the house, when it was setup for a werewolf. What was the purpose of furniture? Was it to give the wolf a chew toy?
"We're just waiting on you, Tom," Harry said, cheekily. He would be the only one in the entire world who could get away with talking to the man that way.
"Cheeky brat," Tom said, fondly. Then he turned to Sirius, "You said you had something you wanted to ask me." He then took a seat in a conjured chair. None of the furniture in the shack looked like it would hold him. He was surprised that the couch held the three of them. They must have reinforced it.
"There are two things I would like from you. One is a personal favor. We think that our friend, Remus Lupin, is being potioned, and we would like to confirm this by having you kidnap him and give him a purging potion. If we do it, and he's not being potioned, then we've lost his trust. I can't live with that," Black said, picking at a string on his trousers. He was nervous that the man might refuse, and that he might agree. Both could have repercussions.
"I can see where this might benefit you," Tom said, thinking it over. The werewolf might be a valuable ally. He would do this, just from the anxious look on Harry's face. "Very well, I can do you this favor. I will hold one in reserve," he said, not thinking of anything he wanted in return at the moment. "And the next thing?" he asked, looking to Harry.
"There's a woman in the ministry that is so evil that she makes my skin crawl," Harry said, giving a full body shudder. "If you can kill her off first, then I won't complain," he said with a shrug.
"You want me to kill someone?" the Dark Lord asked in disbelief. "And you won't hate me for it?" His mind boggled. This was a first. His mind wandered to what this woman might be that she exuded such a response from Harry. Even when he was evil, he didn't get a full body shudder.
"She really is that evil," Harry said, his face twisted with how vile he found the woman. "She dresses all in pink and talks like a little girl. According to Sirius she's the reason that there are laws that creatures, and those with creature blood, can't find work," he added as if that was a crime against nature. He was against prejudice of any kind.
"That and she's trying to get muggleborns classified as second-class citizens. She's trying to say they steal magic from purebloods. I know for a fact that she's a half-blood," Sirius said, knowing this from his family's blackmail information. One of his aunts had a book of blackmail material on all the employees of the ministry. Umbridge's was rather thick. So, if Tom didn't do this, he could use it against her. However, that was a tricky path to walk.
"I can do this, not a problem. She sounds like she would be an issue to my plans anyway. The questions would be, how and when," he said, thinking that the sooner the better.
He could have one of his Death Eaters do it, and make it look like an accident. He would just have to justify it to them. Maybe he would do it himself or have Greyback turn her and then have her come to him for help and off her then. There were so many possibilities. He would have to plan carefully. It wouldn't do to tip his hand too early.
"So, why did you go to Bones without telling us?" Sirius asked, keeping his tone bland. He didn't want to come off as pouting or condescending. While Harry might be able to get away with being cheeky, he didn't think for a minute he could do the same. There was an edge to Tom Riddle that screamed 'don't mess with me', and Sirius knew the steps the man would take if someone crossed that line.
"I did not realize that I had to consult you with my comings and goings," Tom said, he didn't bother to modulate his tone. He was very condescending.
"We can't plan if we don't know what you're doing. What if you do something to take out Dumbledore and we don't know about it? How are we to back your play?" Sirius said, looking at the other two adults.
"Then I guess I had better tell you that I removed Severus's dark mark," the Dark Lord said with a bit of a smirk. He could see the reasoning in those words. He looked to Harry's reasonable face and folded.
"You did, that's great," Harry said, glad for his professor. "You're free," he said to Snape, who just gave him a weak smile. "You are free, right?" he asked at that look. While they didn't have a good relationship, he didn't condone slavery.
Hell, he had a hard enough time being the friend to Dobby. If he didn't understand that Dobby needed him, he'd free him right away. As it was, Dobby was begging him to take another elf. Winky was still without a family, and she was fading fast. Harry was going to try and talk to Hermione first.
"I am mark free," the man confirmed, not expanding on the answer.
"He is still my spy," Tom said, not telling them he had the man under compulsions.
"Why not free him completely?" the teen wanted to know.
"We need a spy," Riddle said as if it was obvious. "Someone needs to be in Dumbledore's camp that the headmaster trust completely and that is not Black. You are too young. He won't confide in you," he explained.
"Then why did you remove his mark?" Harry asked, confused. That didn't make sense.
"To mess with the old man," Sirius guessed. He could see the prank for what it was. He'd do the same thing. It was brilliant. He didn't think Tommy Boy had it in him.
"Yes, it will leave him wrongfooted," Tom said, nodding in Sirius's direction. "This way if someone needs proof that I am gone, Severus can show them that the mark has disappeared," he explained, thinking that up at the last moment. It was never part of the plan, but it would do.
"Oh," was all Harry could say. That did make some sense.
"I did want to let you know, my lord, that Minerva has told the other teachers that my mark is gone. What this will do, I am unsure. We will find out at the next meeting," Snape said, bowing his head a bit to his master.
"That is indeed good news," Tom said, thinking that Dumbledore could not hide the fact that the mark was gone anymore.
"I do my best," Severus stated, a small smile played at his mouth.
Harry was wearing a huge grin at that news. He thought it was a good prank, and it backed his story that the Dark Lord hadn't returned. Sirius was wearing a matching grin for the same reason.
"I also plan on making some of my men attempt to get the prophecy. I told them to go stealthy," Voldy said, looking at the two that didn't know his plans. They were right, they needed to know what he was doing.
"You do know they can't touch it, right?" Sirius asked, looking at Tom queerly. He didn't know if he was trying to get his men killed, or just make them go crazy.
"I did, but how do you know that?" the Dark Lord asked, ignoring the look he was getting. It wouldn't do to punish Harry's godfather. Especially, right in front of the boy.
"My family attempted to acquire one before," was the answer. "The man who tried to retrieve it was never the same again," Sirius said, his tone was a cross between amused and serious. His many times great uncle had been a babbling mess the rest of his short life.
"I see," Tom said, and then moved on. "I have also told my men to weed out the incompetent people at the ministry," he said. "This way when I take over, there will be skilled people in office. I will start from the top and work my way down." He looked at the three people he was going to be working with.
He knew he was going to have to tell Bones the same thing when they parleyed, but that was mostly going to be planning on taking out Greyback and the Death Eaters. Or at least he hoped it was. She might not find it beneficial to work with him. He would have to wait and see.
"Isn't it usually the opposite?" Harry teased with a chuckle.
"Brat," the man said, thinking that if any other teen had talked to him that way, they would have felt his wand. "There are plans in the work, as you know from my letter to Bones, to take care of Greyback and my more bloodthirsty Death Eaters," he finished.
"Yeah, and can I say, I am 100% behind that," Sirius said, still marveling at the way the man treated Harry. He knew that Harry was the only reason that Tom tolerated him, and he was glad for it.
"Was there anything else we needed to discuss?" Tom asked, not wanting to stay in this shack any longer than he had to. It was a dismal place and he had better things to do with his time than to pander to Black. Though, he did enjoy spending time with Harry. And it did something good to his heart to see the boy so carefree. Every time he saw Harry the boy was more relaxed around him. He wondered if it was the vow that he took, or if the boy was testing him. Either way, it was good to see.
"No, I think that was all we had. If you could do that thing with Remus as soon as possible, that would be great," Harry said, looking to his godfather. The man looked like he was having second thoughts about it, so it would be best if it was done soon.
"I will send Severus as soon as I have done it," Tom said, giving the teen an encouraging smile. He would do this just for Harry's peace of mind. If the werewolf was brainwashed, then he would do his best to reprogram him. He had all the dirt on Dumbledore and knew all the right buttons to push to get Lupin to see the headmaster for who he was and not who he saw him as.
"That would be great," the teen said, getting up off the couch and dusting off his trousers. The furniture was a mess, and they hadn't thought to clean it before sitting. Well, Snape had, but he and Sirius didn't really care.
"One more thing, tell Bones that we will meet in two days' time at noon. The restaurant that she picked is fine," Voldemort said, wanting to get that parley out of the way as soon as he could.
"I'll let Tonks know tonight," Black said, thinking of slipping a note to his cousin to give to Amelia. He knew that Tonks wouldn't read it.
"I will be on my way then," Tom said, banishing his conjured chair. "Severus, a word," he said, moving to the side. Snape moved there and they spoke a few words, then Tom moved to the door.
"Thanks again, Tom," Harry said as the man left. He was really glad the Dark Lord was on his side. While he was not as comfortable as he pretended to be, he was getting better at being in the man's company. That and it was just good sense to make the man feel like he was in charge. Well, he was, and Harry did fear him, if only a little, but there was just something about Tom that made Harry feel safe. Not as safe as Sirius did, more like an uncle, than a father.
"It is my pleasure," the man said leaving the shack and disapparating to the Malfoy Manor. He had quite a few plans to make.