~Chapter 21~ Plans – 28 February 1995

Notes: Thank you for all the amazing reviews :). Some of you have some truly brilliant ideas for this story and I enjoy reading them.

~Voldemort~

Voldemort jumped as the wards on his study alerted him to someone at the door and he hurriedly spelled everything away before allowing the person to enter.

The person in question happened to be the very reason for the now-hidden plans and Voldemort forced back an amused smile as 'Dimitri' looked around the study in suspicion, "So are you going to let me in on your next plan for world domination or are you just going to sit there and make it seem like you've been doing nothing but staring at your empty desk for the past five hours?"

The young man walked forward as he spoke and placed the tray he'd been carrying, onto the table. Voldemort stood and helped to place the dishes down before removing a bottle of wine and two glasses from the one cabinet and pouring a glass for each of them.

It had taken two months but he'd slowly managed to get the other man to spend at least one day a week only with him. He doubted that the man even realized that they were technically 'date nights', and wondered what his reaction would be once he finally noticed it.

"If you must know, I was working on another project, but now that you mention it, I have recently been slacking on…", he didn't even get to finish his sentence before Dimitri stuffed a piece of apple into his mouth with a scowl.

"Don't even joke about that! I will…eh-I mean…Ghost will have my hide if he finds out that you decided to go from taking over the Ministry to World Domination!" Dimitri looked panicked at his slight slip up but Voldemort pretended not to notice as he tried to both savor and ignore the tingling sensation that his mate's fingers had left on his lips.

He realized that even though his mate was someone disguised, it didn't stop their souls from recognizing each other and it made him yearn to see what his mate really looked like.

He pulled his attention back to Dimitri as the man talked animatedly about the latest trouble that his Death Eaters had gotten into, but he couldn't help but notice that the other man seemed to be less enthusiastic than before.

Voldemort knew the cause of it…had known ever since Dimitri had hinted at it on his birthday, and it frustrated him that it had taken so long to plan, but he only needed one more letter to finalize his plans. He just hoped that his mate would like the surprise, though it had been tricky to disguise it as mere meetings.

A letter appeared beside his plate and Voldemort casually picked it up before shaking his head in disinterest and throwing the letter into one of his drawers, though on the inside his heart was beating loud enough that he was sure his mate could hear it from across the table.

Luckily Dimitri paid it no mind and they continued their meal as Voldemort asked him about the rest of his day and his plans for the next few days. Dimitri glanced at him in suspicion, though at this point it was more of a playful look than anything else, "I don't have much going on for the rest of the week, probably the same I have been doing for the past few months, I guess…why?"

Voldemort pointed toward his plate and the young man gave a slight huff before he continued eating while watching Voldemort intently, "Your brother sent me a few scrolls containing the vows of various creature clans, and although I immediately accepted their vows, I want to go see their living conditions for myself."

Dimitri merely nodded but Voldemort could see the excitement in his eyes at the thought of being able to leave the castle for a while.

He wasn't complaining about the fact that his mate had stayed close to him these past few months, but it did bother him that his mate wasn't even trying to leave the castle for more than walks in the garden and some flying on the Quidditch pitch. It wasn't healthy.

He pushed his thoughts aside and their plates disappeared as he waited for Dimitry's answer. The young man seemed to be calculating quite a few things in his mind but finally, he looked up and nodded with a smile.

Voldemort subtly tried to shake off the tense feelings he'd felt at the other man's silence as he gave a smile in return.

~Harry (as Dimitri)~

Dimitri's brows shot up as he noticed the lavish traveling clothes that the house elves had laid out on his bed, though strangely enough, his mind didn't immediately jump to the assumption that Voldemort thought he didn't dress properly or that the man was embarrassed to be seen with him (as it would have done so quickly in the past).

Instead, he took it as the gift it was and he allowed himself a smile as the high-quality fabric brushed his skin. He knew Voldemort wanted to make an impression on his new allies, but that was merely the excuse he used to give others gifts without them feeling the need to give something back in return.

He'd seen it happen constantly ever since the man returned to his sanity and it wasn't hard to see why the Death Eaters had believed in him even before he'd taken up the title of Lord Slytherin.

The man made a point of noticing things about others, though his reaction to the things he noticed depended on whether you were an ally or an enemy.

A knock echoed on the door once he was dressed and Dimitry opened it to find a grinning Barty on the other side. He'd been there to help rescue the man once the Dark Lord realized that he was one of the only followers he hadn't heard from, and they'd tracked the man down through the Dark mark. Dimitry himself had both Impereo'd and then Obliviated the man's father, much to Voldemort's surprise, and he couldn't deny that a suspiciously green light had been shining from the tip of his wand when they found Barty before Voldemort had placed a calming hand on his shoulder.

They had become fast friends in the past few months as the older man's slightly crazy nature often distracted him from the self-isolation he'd imposed on himself when he noticed that Voldemort was busy with something and the smirk the other man carried now, meant that he was in on something.

Dimitri looked at the other man's attire and smiled, "You also going?"

Barty nodded with a laugh, "Just as security detail to set the rest at ease. Bella refused to allow the two of you to leave unless My Lord allowed at least one of us to go along."

Dimitry laughed and shook his head in amusement, "I take it Voldemort got frustrated with her roundabout way of arguing in circles and finally just gave in?" Barty nodded and Dimitry felt his smile grow slightly wider as he grabbed his cloak and followed Barty to the door, only to walk directly into someone as Barty quickly stepped to one side and he glared at the snickering man as strong hands settled on his arms to steady him.

He looked up at Voldemort, only to find the man quickly glancing away from him as he looked at Barty, "Make sure you have everything on the list."

Barty nodded before disappearing and Dimitry chuckled at the amused frustration he saw on the other man's face as he allowed his arms to fall to his sides, "You know you are egging Bella on by giving in, right?"

Voldemort nodded, "I know, but her argument made sense. It wouldn't be wise for us to be traveling alone with the Order of the Phoenix still at large, and taking over the Ministry is going slower now that we have changed our tactics."

Dimitri nodded, but he was deep in thought as they headed towards the Apparation point. Maybe he should try and find a way to speed things up a little?

His thoughts were interrupted as Barty walked towards them with a bag slung over his shoulder and Voldemort grabbed onto both their shoulders, "Ready?"

They both nodded and Dimitry steeled himself against the feeling of having Voldemort's magic wrapped around him. It was getting harder and harder to ignore the mate thing between them and he's been tempted quite a few times to just use an aging potion to get back to his usual age…but then he remembered that he would need to inform Voldemort about who he truly was, and the desire would disappear for a bit.

It was downright frustrating and he knew his fear was irrational…after all, they were mates, right? And Voldemort had already promised that he wouldn't lock Harry Potter away so what was the big deal?

'Dimitri' swallowed and ignored Voldemort and Barty's concerned looks as they arrived at their destination. The big deal was that he knew he would tell Voldemort everything once he revealed who he was, and who would want a mate that had killed you in the past?

Dimitry was missing one very important point however because he forgot that Voldemort had technically killed him first.