Disclaimer: I own no part of Harry Potter. I am just a mere fanfiction writer stumbling along in the footsteps of giants.
To my reviewers: Thanks for all the wonderful reviews I have recieved so far and I just want to apologize to everyone for not updating in so long. College is insane right now and I'm extremely busy. I'll try to update more often.
At the end of this chapter there are answers to any questions posed in the reviews that people submitted. If there are still questions let me know. Remember that I LOVE all reviews.
Now on with the story. I apologize for the short chapter and promise that the next one will be much longer
Harry silently followed Lucius toward the dining room of Malfoy Manor. Both wizards were lost in their thoughts and had reached an unspoken agreement to allow the other to think as they walked.
Lucius was deep in thought about exactly what he was going to say to Voldemort when he went before the Dark Lord to explain what had transpired. He had no idea how his lord would take the news that Severus had been the traitor in their ranks for so long. Nor did he know how Voldemort would react to the fact that his long time enemy was none other then Severus' son. There was a good chance that Voldemort could simply choose to kill them both and be done with it. On the other hand Voldemort could decide to let them live. The Dark Lord had more reasons to keep Severus and his son alive then the obvious reasons.
There were things that Severus knew from the last war that Lucius had little insight into. It had always been known that Ana and Severus were the strategy experts and it was their teamwork that had brought the dark side so many victories. Lucius and Narcissa, on the other hand, had been the political leaders. It had been their job to cover up any mistakes that took place. The four young adults had been vital to their lord's success in the first campaign. Voldemort had done well when he had made them his generals.
Even though Severus was a brilliant strategist and potion's master there were still other things that tied him to the Dark Lord. These things had bound Severus and Lucius to Voldemort's service since the day they had been born. These bounds were bounds that could not be broken unless Voldemort were to die a true death and Lucius hoped that those bounds would be enough to protect Severus and his son.
While Lucius was thinking of the Dark Lord, Harry was thinking about his friends. He wondered how they would take the news that the Dursley's home had been attacked and the fact that he was missing. He could care less about Ron's reaction to the news. The other boy had been a total jerk for a long time and Harry was not about to give any thought to Ron.
The reactions of Hermione, Ginny, and Remus were the reactions that he was most worried about. He knew that the girls would take it extremely hard and that Remus would be beside himself. After Sirius' death near the end of the Tri-Wizard Tournament the werewolf had vowed to take care of the last cub of his pack.
Harry pulled himself from his thoughts as he and Lucius reached the dining hall. Lucius pulled open the enormous doors and waved for Harry to enter in front of him. Harry did so and scanned the room. The room was large and grandly decorated, a long table stood as the centerpiece to the room and large windows overlooking the gardens lined the outer walls. As the two wizards entered Severus and Narcissa stood from their positions at the table and Narcissa practically ran to Harry and embraced him in a warm hug. Harry was caught off guard by the unexpected move but quickly gathered himself and allowed the woman to hold him.
"Severus told me everything Malachi dear. I've missed having you around so much." Narcissa stepped back and surveyed the boy before her. "Why you are nothing but skin and bones. We can fix that." She snapped her fingers and a house elf appeared. The little elf bowed as low as she possibly could before speaking.
"What can Issy do for Mistress Malfoy?"
"Issy, immediately prepare breakfast for my godson. I want the best the kitchen can make. He needs to gain some weight. Now go, do it quickly." If possible the elf bowed lower.
"Issy will immediately do as Mistress commands." With that she disappeared and Narcissa guided Harry over to the table where she motioned for him to sit.
"Issy is by far our best cook. You will only eat the best while in our home." Before Harry could reply dishes of wonderful smelling food began appearing on the table. Narcissa looked delighted as she surveyed the offerings and grabbed a plate from the pile. She quickly filled it and placed it before Harry. "Go ahead and eat." She commanded. Harry was going to object but the food smelled delicious and he really hadn't eaten a lot over the first part of summer holiday. When Narcissa was sure that he was eating properly she motioned to Lucius and Severus.
"Come eat you two, don't stand there with your mouths hanging open. Malachi is my godson and I intend to do the job I haven't gotten to do for fifteen years." Both men immediately nodded and took their seats at the table.
The first part of the meal passed in silence as the four wizards ate in silence. The first bits of conversation started between Severus and Lucius. Harry chose to ignore them and concentrated on his meal until he realized that Narcissa was watching him quietly. He looked up and met the woman's eyes. She appraised him for several seconds before smiling at him.
"I hope you have found everything in rooms in order. I had new robes sent to your room shortly after Severus informed me of your circumstances. I hope they fit you well." Harry nodded.
"I definitely appreciate your kindness. I had expected to continue wearing the hand-me-down clothes that my relatives had supplied me but the robes and new clothes are much more comfortable." Narcissa smiled kindly in relief.
"I'm glad dear. You are my godson and you deserve only the best after so many years of ill treatment. If I ever get my hands on Dumbledore I will tear him limb from limb with every good curse that I've learned over the years." Harry surveyed the woman before him. He would have never guessed her to be a strong dark witch but now that he sat in her presence and felt the anger simmering inside her he promised himself that he would never underestimate a woman ever again.
"If you are lucky you will get your chance." He smirked slightly. "I will remember not to incite your wrath in the future." Narcissa laughed quietly.
"It is not my wrath you will have to worry about dear. Lucius and Severus are the true masters of the dark arts in this home. They are seconds only to our lord." With that the pair lapsed into silence and shortly after Lucius and Severus finished their conversation.
The elder Malfoy stood and spoke. "I must take my leave. I am to meet with our master in just over an hour and I will not be late for such an important meeting." With that he turned and swept out of the dining hall. With Lucius' words Harry felt a little dread work its way into his stomach. He glanced over at Severus and noticed that the man was equally nervous but that he hid his anxiety much better then Harry was able to. A couple minutes later Severus also stood.
"Lucius has arranged for me to meet with a fellow potions and transfiguration expert." He turned toward Harry. "I would like you to attend that meeting so the two of us can analyze that spells and potions that were used to change your appearance." Harry nodded and also stood. When his father turned to leave he followed the elder wizard out of the dining hall. It had no idea where they were headed and even less of a clue as to what had been used to make him look like James Potter.
He was also worried about Lucius and the man's meeting with Voldemort. He hoped that the spells holding his appearance could be easily removed and that Voldemort was accepting of what had happened fifteen years before. Somehow we doubted that either instance would go smoothly but he kept his fears to himself and followed his father toward the potions labs of Malfoy Manor. He had a feeling that he would soon find out the answers to both issues that confronted him within the day.
Questions posed in reader reviews:
Princess-Fictoria: That is an amazing review. You brought up a ton of philosophy and moral thinking that I had not considered. I'll try to work some of them if they fit. Remember though, this IS a DARK Harry fic. I intend him to go dark that was my purpose for writing this story. I won't completely throw the moral compass out the window though. As for the death of the Potters v. the death of Ana: Think of it this way, in Harry's mind Ana's death was completely unnecessary. She was killed simply BY Dumbledore, he killed her personally I changed that in the earlier chapter. He did what he wanted to do. He could have wiped her memory but he chose to kill her instead. The death of the Potters was one of necessity. They stood in Voldemort's way as he rose to power. They had to die to fulfill a higher goal. Voldemort killed them not because he could but because he had too and Malachi will come to realize that eventually. As the story progresses you will find out more things that bind Malachi and his family to Voldemort and those bindings will not lead them astray from the Dark Lord. I hope you keep giving me such great reviews in the future.
Adora-Chillwind: Yes, this is a DARK Harry story, he will be dark, that is why I decided to write this story. As for Dumbledore's death, yes he will die I already have that planned but I won't give away how or when it will be in the story. I haven't decided if I want to kill Ron or not. I definitly hate him though so there is a good possibility. No rampages on Harry's part. He's not a murderer like Dumbledore. He doesn't want to kill senselessly and without reason
Nuavarion: I hope I fixed a lot of the mistakes and that this chapter has fewer of them. Let me know what you think.
HecateDeMort: I still haven't decided 100 on a love interest for Malachi. If it is anybody it will most likely be Ginny. She has the most connection to the Dark from her experiences with Tom Riddle and I think she would understand the lure of the dark best. If I decide I'm sure you will see it when I post it.
DarkBlade The Damned: I'm trying to be more conscious of grammer/spelling. I haven't considered a beta and I really don't want one right now. If I had a more solid posting schedule I would consider it but my writing get written when my brain decides it is ready to write. Keep reviewing and if you see a major mistake point it out.
Croesan: You mentioned that you had timeline problems. To clear this up I'll keep it simple. Draco is the only person who is in a different year. Book One is exactly like book one except that Draco is a second year student when Harry is sorted.Ginny arrives at Hogwarts just like she does in Book Two and it isn't until the events of Book Two that my story begins to differ from the timeline. If you still have problems when let me know.
Anne Taure: Yep, Dumbledore won't stop cursing for a long time. He won't meet with Severus for a while though and when he finds out the truth it will be too late. (a little foreshadowing there) Anyway, keep reading and reviewing.
Rozi126: Don't fret, Dumbledore will find out the truth, and much more then he ever hoped to know soon enough. As for Harry/Malachi attending Hogwarts he won't be. Don't worry it will all be made clear in later chapters I promise.
Trinity-Unicorn: As it stands in mymind now Ginny will probably follow Harry down the dark path. I'm not totally sure but that's the way things look now.
FlameofShadows: I'm glad you like the plot. I'm trying to be as original as possible in writing this fic. Keep up the reviews.
To everyone else who said how much they loved the story I thank you all and hope you review again soon.