Embracing His True Self

Chapter 104

Harry snatched the letter from Rabastan, and everyone there had the sense not to complain or worse still snatch it back. Instead, they all stared at him, waiting for him to finish whatever he was doing. Which was nothing, he was just staring at the front of the letter, making zero attempts to actually open it.

"I checked it," Rabastan informed him, bludgeoning confusion beginning to thrum through him, "There aren't any spells on the parchment, it's safe." Assuming that was why Harry was still staring at the letter without opening it.

"Harry?" Severus asked, his tone cautious, black eyes gleaming with concern, had Rabastan missed one? It was almost like Harry had been petrified, but his breathing gave away that he hadn't been, much to his relief. Still, there was something going on that they weren't seeing.

Suddenly Harry chuckled, it was dark and bitterly amused. "Recognize the handwriting?" a sardonic smirk on his face, clearly talking to Severus since he had the letter facing Severus as well as looking directly at him.

Severus accepted the letter, staring intently at the writing, which tickled something at the back of his mind. There was a familiarity to it, but it just couldn't click, the more he stared the more perplexed he became. No, not perplexed, annoyed is more like it. "I must confess, the writing is vaguely familiar but for the life of me I cannot recall to whom it belongs." Yet his mind continued to tick away, trying to figure out what exactly was bothering him.

"My year, a Gryffindor," Harry said with more dryness than the Sahara Desert.

"No," Severus replied immediately, that was impossible, he was much too thick of that.

"Yes," Harry argued.

"No," Severus shook his head, "It's impossible, the boy is dumber than two short planks." In fact, the boy wouldn't have been in his class, there was no he would have obtained the necessary grades to do so. Not that the brat would have wanted to, he reckoned.

"Yep," Harry continued, grinning just imagining the look on Tom's face when he found out. Ha! Oh, he couldn't wait to see the reactions.

"Who?" Barty asked, giving another quick but thorough look at the envelope. The writing that seemed so familiar to Harry – and Severus to an extent – was entirely unknown to him. He may have been able to spend an entire year at Hogwarts and luckily not revealed his true nature…but he hadn't been in good health.

Rabastan stared inquisitively between Severus and Harry, wondering who they were thinking of and whether they were correct or not. It had to be someone they least expected, someone so far down the threat list that he or she had gone undetected. Narrowing his eyes thoughtfully, he just couldn't think of a threat they could have possibly underestimated.

"Ronald Weasley," Harry told Barty and Rabastan the wizards immediately laughed, before pausing to stare at Harry.

"Wait, you're actually serious? You honestly think Ronald Weasley is behind it?" Barty asked, "The idiot was just before Neville Longbottom and Seamus Finnegan in terms of grades out of the entire year." At least for the Defence Against the Dark Arts subject, and during the staff meetings the professors had despaired about him and how lazy he is. How difficult it was to get him to focus, when they knew he could do so much better. How they knew this, Barty hadn't been able to determine.

"Weasley? The brothers are intelligent." Rabastan said, he knew they had to be in order to become a curse breaker, and a dragon handler, powerful too. The exams you had to sit were intense, you had to be really, really good to pass, especially the first time. "More so to have taken a step back from the war."

"Weasley isn't intelligent enough to succeed in this," Severus refuted.

"Ronald Weasley beat McGonagall's chess set at eleven," Harry pointed out wryly, "Like it or not, he has a very sound mind for strategy. This was full of strategic moves, and if not for this letter, nobody would have been any the wiser about his actions and motives."

Severus paused, "That was true?" he honestly never believed everything he heard at Hogwarts. Or the bragging Dumbledore liked to do about the students he handpicked as his favourites. Mulling over the new information, if it was true, then perhaps he may have underestimated Ronald Weasley.

"Yeah, neither me or Hermione knew the first thing about chess, it's not something Muggles teach their kids." Harry said, before amending, "Unless they play themselves, and that ultimately gets taught to their children." Or if they were prodigy. Hermione was smart, but not prodigiously smart.

"Are you going to open it?" Rabastan asked, curious to know what was in the letter. It was against the law to open owl mail not your own, you could end up in Azkaban for months. Not that this was going to stop them, he'd been in Azkaban for a much worse – and more valid – reason.

Harry shrugged, "Go ahead," gesturing for Severus to go ahead and open the letter that Ronald Weasley wrote to Colin Creevy before the blonde's death.

"To, Colin…" and Severus began to read out the letter to the three listening wizards, pausing only briefly when the Dark Lord made an appearance.

Harry sniggered quietly every time Severus made a face as he spoke certain words. For he had a good idea what exactly was troubling the Potions Master. Ronald's spelling, which had always been as atrocious as his eating habits. Ron as like the rest of the Weasley's – and the wizarding world – tutored at home. Most wizarding families could afford a tutor to actually educate their kids. Molly, regretfully, had to educate her children on her own. They could barely afford to give their children second hand clothes, never mind a tutor on top of it. Bill, Charlie and Percy were probably easy to teach, but as she began to have more? Well, they would have ended up lacking when it came to certain subjects, and spelling was one of them.

He'd actually seen the professor's comment on it actually, well, not seen, seen, but he'd read the comments from returned homework. Unfortunately, Ron had no desire to better himself whatsoever.

"But Ronald wasn't there," Barty said, he'd had a good look at everyone, and there hadn't been a Weasley present.

"No, it was Antonin's sister's birthday," Rabastan recalled, Harry was nodding, he'd received an invite but he'd declined but sent her a gift that more than made up for it with the promise to visit soon. "They'll have been celebrating."

"They've also moved into the new property," Harry confessed rubbing his forehead, which was wrinkled a bit as he thought on everything. Relaxing when he felt Tom's hand splay out against his back, silent support and comfort. "Antonin didn't half give them somewhere gorgeous to live." Each of the kids had a bedroom of their own with more than five guest bedrooms.

"It doesn't sound like he's going to stop any time soon," Barty said, "He wants to catch you unawares, he's giving a damn journalist your secrets in order to lure you out."

"You had the map," Voldemort stated, "Was there ever a time where the boy was seen or observed in the headmaster's office?"

"What are you thinking?" Harry asked.

"Just thinking perhaps there's more to Weasley's plans than we're thinking," Voldemort deduced, "We already know Dumbledore isn't above using and manipulating children to do as he wishes. What if there is an unaccounted-for vial of the potion?" it would be all too easy to obliviate himself of the knowledge if he felt he was in danger of becoming compromised.

Severus snorted, unable to help himself, "I wouldn't trust Weasley with anything, let alone a potion of that magnitude. The boy couldn't keep a secret to save himself. He was too easy to rile, and very quick to take that anger out on the one irritating him."

Harry grimaced, "I have to agree with Severus," Harry confessed, there was no way he would have been able to keep it quiet if Dumbledore paid him any sort of attention. He would have been smugly proclaiming it rather loudly and anywhere he could. Whether it be Gryffindor Common Room or the Great Hall.

"And if he did spend a notable amount of time with Dumbledore?" Voldemort queried. "Is it a risk you're prepared to take this close to the finish line?" it certainly wasn't something he was willing to risk.

Harry's gaze flickered to Tom, "So, what? You're going to amount an attack on Hogwarts? Put every single student at risk to get at Ronald Weasley? On the perchance that he knows something?"

Severus, Rabastan and Barty became silent, glancing at each other, but it was more of an exasperated glance. They no longer feared that the Dark Lord might fly off the handle. It had taken a long time and constant exposure around the wizard for that fear to level off. It was now expected that Harry wouldn't just keep quiet when he believed in something passionately or someone was being wronged.

"No, I intended for a small group to go while using your map, getting the boy on his own, and then questioning him." Voldemort said coolly and calmly.

"Then Obliviate him?" Harry asked, a thoughtful frown overcoming his features. "Might end up lowering his IQ so much he'll end up in St. Mungo's." he muttered petulantly, still not forgiving Ronald Weasley for being the fool he'd always been. For his 'pathetic' friendship he'd had to endure having noticed the 'manipulations' for what they were.

"I didn't say anything about Obliviating or letting him go." Voldemort said dryly.

"Huh?" blinking bewilderedly, "He's no real threat to you," he added, and they weren't killing unless they had to, which was sort of the point of all this.

"We'll see," Voldemort replied, "Lucius, Severus and you will all accompany me." It would be thrilling and odd to see Hogwarts again since returning with his sanity intact. He had avoided the school, in both a physical sense and in his plans. It was…their home, so many of them considered Hogwarts their first – and sometimes only – home.

"Oh, come on…really?" Harry grumbled under his breath. He didn't want to deal with Weasley in any capacity, or deal with his constant complaining he'd likely to do.

"Well, he did want to bring you out of hiding," Barty said smirking wryly, "I can come…I know my way around Hogwarts far better than Lucius." Despite the fact Lucius was a school governor and had attended Hogwarts it had been years since he actually went farther than Dumbledore's office or the Great Hall. Then again, traversing the same building every day for seven years is hard to forget.

Still, it happens.

"No, you can be there for the questioning," Voldemort decided, and despite how much he'd 'changed' nobody thought to question his decisions. Well, except Harry that is, but he was different for more than one reason.

"After Grant has checked him over," Harry sighed, rubbing his temples in silent agitation, seeing the look on his bonded, he added, "Well, if he's been compelled, I'd like to know." he knew it was highly unlikely. Molly had shown she didn't give a shit about her husband, they'd never considered checking the sons and daughter.

"Grant is doing surgeries, he won't be able to come until early evening," Voldemort informed him, wondering if he still wanted to go down that road. It was a good idea admittedly, if Dumbledore had implanted suggestions in the boy's mind, he'd find them.

Harry shrugged, "As long as I'm not forced to be with him, I don't care." He still didn't know what the heck to do with Tonks, he wasn't in the habit of second guessing himself. "Are we going to keep Tonks until after everything has been done? Or do we get a vow and drop her off in Australia?" or the Antarctica he was sure she'd love it there.

"Do what you will, so long as she says the vow I have written out," Voldemort said dismissively, she wasn't a danger to anyone. Nobody had any use for the witch, not even Rabastan and Severus, who had at least one line to carry on, two if Rabastan wanted a child of the Lestrange line. He wasn't the heir but it didn't hurt having children to ensure the line couldn't possibly end.

Harry nodded, "Alright then, let's get going, Ron loves eating, he's always the last one out of the Great Hall, after lunch." Glancing at the time, if they left soon, they'd actually catch him just as he was leaving. They themselves had lunch around the same time, but not for as long.

"Meet at the gates," Harry added, as he left the room, not waiting around for Voldemort to summon Lucius, the less time he spent with him the better. He could not stand the blonde at all; he could safely say it wasn't prejudice though. Or hatred from Draco transferring over to the father. No, Lucius had tried to kill him for goodness' sake, at twelve-years-old.

He didn't forgive or forget.

Well, not much, he thought grudgingly to himself, as an image of his bonded passed through his minds eye. Collecting his Invisibility cloak and map before veering off towards the main doors of Slytherin castle. Smothering his amusement at the look he imagined on everyone's face collecting it himself instead of getting a House-elf to retrieve it. He nabbed himself a piece of chocolate from his trunk, Remus and Sirius had gotten him a bunch of chocolates from wherever they were this time. He had to say they weren't all bad.

Harry was joined not even ten minutes later with Severus and Lucius following Tom in a brisk manner. Tom gave Harry a look, a silent query as to whether he had the map or not.

"Wouldn't it be easier to grab him at night?" Lucius posited. The look he got from all three wizards suggested they were questioning his intelligence.

"You're aware that there's wards in the common rooms, right? Nobody would be able to get up there unless they were in that house or the Head of that house?" Harry said, honestly, "Weren't you a prefect or Head boy back in the day? It's information they know…they're keyed into the wards, even if somewhat limited?" he knew because of what he read, but even if he hadn't, he would have known, Hermione liked to spout off everything she learned.

"Those wards were…defunct during Lucius' time at Hogwarts." Voldemort confessed, "And not at all to do with me, I believe Dumbledore removed them in hopes of seeing who exactly would join me. It suited my purpose so I didn't look too much into as I ought to have done. They were returned some time between Lucius' leaving and Severus becoming a professor." That and he honestly hadn't cared about some wards being conveniently down. The insanity had been…horrifying now to think on.

"That might be true but a Muggle born girl knew this information…barely a few weeks after she learned she was a prefect." Harry said, not trying to wind him up, but rather being honest. Not all Muggle borns sought to change the magical world, some actually immersed themselves fully into their new world.

"She's not Muggle born, she's a Malfoy by blood." Lucius said, knowing who Harry was referring to, and rather smug about that fact. She was…intelligent, extremely high grades like Draco, she was rather pale, not as pale as he and his son naturally, but Hermione went on holiday for months every summer holidays, which helped keep her skin a healthy flourish. Her hair was the only thing differentiating her from the rest of the Malfoy clan. The problem was, he knew she hated them, and he couldn't blame her. Not that she'd fly under the Malfoy banner, no, she would be under the Crouch crest.

Harry stared at him feeling rather stunned, squinting a little as if expecting a different look to be adopted. Arching a brow, he glanced at Severus before giving a swift glance at Lucius, asking silently if this was genuine. Severus didn't need to think, he nodded, yes, it was very true. "You actually want to be part of her life?" utterly baffled.

"You are not the only one who has been forced to overcome prejudice and understand the reality of new information." Lucius said quietly, "My wife and I…always wanted more than just one child. It is a…very lonely existence for a single child household. I had no socialising until my parents knew for certain I was a wizard. Then suddenly I was thrust out into the world, the heir of the Malfoy family. They were very…careful of whom I was allowed contact with. Only one on one, and it was the most thrilling and terrifying experience boarding the Hogwarts express. So, yes, I thought I was better than everyone else, its all I had known, and I didn't have anyone to compare myself to. We did want to get to know Hermione, and any other with Malfoy blood, for family is so very precious to me." His wife and son…oh, he'd wanted a bigger family, but to have Narcissa he was content to be a father to only Draco.

"Uh, huh and where does killing a twelve-year-old fall on your moral scale?" Harry bluntly asked.

Lucius' pale features highlighted the delicate humiliated flush that designed to flourish against his cheeks. "You cost me my House-elf, which was now then free to reveal all Malfoy family secrets as he pleases without consequences. Worse still, you did it at Hogwarts, and without a doubt with Dumbledore listening to everything and ready to use Dobby for his own gain. We never release House-elves the way you forced it upon me, they swear vows before they're freed." As if they could afford to let Dumbledore get the upper hand any more than usual. They had been in a very precarious position. It felt good being able to explain just why he'd been so seething furious. "Truthfully, I wouldn't have finished the spell, I was temporarily angry, I was already gaining full control of my faculties before Dobby blasted me down the hallway.

Harry cocked his head to the side conceding Lucius' point.

"This isn't the time or place," Severus warned them, "We have ten minutes to get up into the school before students begin swarming out the Great Hall." Usually, it took fifteen to twenty minutes to get from the gates of the school to the Great Hall, so they would need to be quick.

With that, the four of them left Slytherin estate with rapid pops denoting Apparation.

They didn't dally around as they rushed hastily towards the entrance of the school.

"Do you regret not staying? I mean for the building," Harry asked Severus, staring up at the school as they moved swiftly and agilely.

"A small part, mostly the part of me that dislikes change," Severus confessed, breathing a little quick as the four of them were really setting a quick pace.

"How about you?" Voldemort asked Harry, at least they'd all stayed for seven years, although none of them had such a…adventurous time at Hogwarts. Closest he'd come to an adventure at Hogwarts was the year the chamber opened and the basilisk accidentally killed Myrtle. Her death had not been planned, although he'd taken full advantage of it. Proceeding to make a Horcrux, something he sincerely regretted making.

Lucius listened tentatively; he hadn't been around the Dark Lord in a casual setting like this. It was a mission, sure, but nothing tense, life threatening or dangerous.

"Hogwarts was the only place I ever called home, for maybe a few months…I decided that despite the present dangers I preferred being at Hogwarts instead of the Dursley's. Now though? I know what a home really is, the castle will always have a place of fondness in my heart…but it isn't home. Not anymore." Despite Slytherin castle not being his, he considered it home.

Harry glanced at Tom, but he didn't need verbal confirmation that he felt the same, the bond was thrumming with agreement. He was so glad for the bond he shared with Tom…and an idle thought struck him…how would he have felt if he killed Tom as Dumbledore had set out to ensure happened?

Lucius glanced at the three of his companions, grimacing a little when he realized that the three of them shared an understanding that he did not. Hogwarts was a school, a tradition, that was it as far as he was concerned. A place of a diminishing education, at least for now.

He could scarcely wait until they could bring back the classes and traditions that Dumbledore had discarded over the years. Yes, the old fool was dead – not that the public knew this – at long last, and the school was a little better but no efforts had been made to change anything.

The three wizards shimmered out of view, as they simultaneously cast a concealment charm upon themselves. Harry – who hadn't really bothered learning many – flung his cloak over him, and disappeared from view. He added another charm, which attached all three wizards to himself, they couldn't go more than three feet from him before being magically compelled and corrected.

It was a tether for children, and none of the wizards were happy but they didn't remove it, they knew the way to the Great Hall. So, there was no way they would get far enough from him to be reeled back. They did need to avoid a large group of Hufflepuff's who emerged from the Great Hall.

"The Great Hall is likely more than half empty," Severus murmured, well aware of his students' habits, even if they weren't technically his students anymore.

"Mostly Slytherin's and Gryffindors left," Harry told them, the Ravenclaws were already in the library, and the Hufflepuff's were clustered together in the second floor or in their common room. "Wait, he's coming." Which did surprise Harry, Ron never left before the food disappeared.

"Alone?" Voldemort questioned.

"Yes, but you only have a minute if you're lucky, there's a bunch of Ravenclaw's following," Harry said watching the map with intensity.

"I don't need a minute." Voldemort said, slightly insulted.

He didn't.

As soon as Ronald Weasley came through the doors, he was stunned, invisible and spread upon a stretcher and next to them. By the time the group of Ravenclaws came through the door giggling and laughing, they were unaware anything had taken place.

They were glad they hadn't had to fight their way back out, which was why they had brought Severus and Lucius. The Dark Lord never underestimated any situation, and would never do so with Harry with him. Harry was good, no doubt about it, but they weren't invincible. The Dark Lord had gone alone a few times, and the last time had been…painful to say the least.

The moment they were outside of the school they removed the spells upon them, despite the 'danger' of being found out. Fortunately, they knew from experience that nobody would be looking out the windows – where they'd see anything – any time soon and even looking out the windows from classes…you should see nothing but a figure in the distance.

The only thing that remained invisible was the levitating figure of Ronald Weasley.

A/N – ugh got the worst toothache ever – an abscess I think – too painful to be anything but upside I know what's wrong with Luna at least what the vets think – gastro bug so lots of chicken, rice and carrots for her bland diet 😊 – they love chicken so I doubt there will be any complaints from them lol 😉 so there we go! I know, I know, I've not updated in a good few days, with the worries I've had this month I'm surprised I don't have an ulcer so will Ron have been compelled by Dumbledore giving the Weasley's more reasons to hate him? OR will this all be done with Ron's knowledge and consent? what will become of Ron? R&R please