Disclaimer: Nothing in the Harry Potter universe is mine.

AN: Thank you all for reading, following, reviewing and favouring. Your lovely reviews increase the motivation to write.

As the last chapter this one is also dedicated to ulktante. With her permission I am using her law of Haxby.

When I started planning and writing this story I knew how I wanted to proceed with Marvolo. I crafted an idea of a law to help him but then I read Benefits of old laws from ulktante and my idea would have been very similar to it. I wrecked my brain for weeks to come up with something different, but all the other ideas were not feeling right for this story. So, I decided to go with the law plot and decided to ask ulktante if I can use her law idea. I am so happy did she said yes. Mine would have been too similar that I am sure someone would have accused me of copying.

This chapter is now beta'ed by the wonderful a-bit-of-madness, a million thanks and hugs to her.

On with the story.

Chapter 8: Of laws and healings

Harry flopped on his bed, sighing. He was totally, utterly bored and it wasn't even noon. Hedwig was still absent, delivering the latest letters, there was nothing to do. He already had spent his morning doing his summer assignments out of overwhelming ennui. It was completely meaningless to do them, he wouldn't be going back to Hogwarts to submit them, but he was certain that Hermione would approve.

Harry snickered. 'Harry, planning to end your own existence is not an excuse to forget to do your homework!' It certainly sounded like something Hermione would say.

He sighed again. Would his friends understand his reasons for doing this? Would they understand that he felt it was the right thing to do - to give Voldemort back what was his?

So far, his whole life had been orchestrated by someone else, he had never really been allowed to decide things for himself. All these people with their expectations and prejudices, Dumbledore manipulating him to do the right thing for the greater good. The greater good for whom? Certainly not for Harry, it seemed.

But this… this was something he chose to do. It was his own decision. Harry knew there were other possible ways to handle the situation. Sure, he could ask some of the adults for help, to search another method to remove the Horcrux within himself.

He could have destroyed all the soul pieces and then killed Voldemort. Harry was sure, that was what Dumbledore had planned to do. It would have been the easy thing.

Or, he could talk with Voldemort. Perhaps he was reasonable after regaining his sanity, perhaps they could live with the soul connection. But would Voldemort allow his human Horcrux ever out of his sight? Instead of Dumbledore, Voldemort would take over dictating his life, instead of trying to end it like before, something Harry really did not want. He was through with listening to adults.

Every time he had asked for an adult to help in his life, nothing good had come out of it. So why should he now?

It was his life, his right to do with it whatever he wanted, at least this once and he was content with his decision. To end his own life to prevent the wizarding war to continue, to give Voldemort his soul piece back and to spite the whole wizarding world for their cowardly way of looking to him to do something… sounded brilliant, like at least his death changed something… had a meaning. And then he could finally rest.

Merlin, he was so tired…

Losing Sirius and hearing the prophecy… it had shaken his world. He wasn't even sixteen yet, how could he possibly win against a wizard like Voldemort?

He remembered the fight in the Ministry between Dumbledore and Voldemort quite well. How could anybody believe he stood a chance against someone like that?

Kill or be killed…

He refused to let this prophecy dictate every aspect of his life - especially not his death.

If he really had to die, it would be on his terms and not someone else.

He had nobody he would leave behind, not like his parents had.

Yes, he was sure that Ron and Hermione would miss him, but they had their families to fall back on and over time, they would come to terms with it. The Weasley's would certainly grieve, but he wasn't really part of their family, and they had each other. They would survive this. Everything he had done, and planned to do, was to ensure his friends and surrogate family would survive.

All his friends, all of the people he loved, had someone they could lean on. They were all surrounded by loved ones. They would survive his death, they would mourn and grieve and live. That was what Harry was fighting for and, in the end, planned to die for - life.

He himself had no one anymore and that was good, nobody would be destroyed by his death. He had no family (the Dursley's certainly did not count), Sirius was dead, there was no one else… and Remus…

Harry closed his eyes. Thinking of Remus hurt. He had thought of him as something like a second godfather, a beloved uncle. Someone who cared for him as Harry, not the bloody Boy-Who-Lived, but he had not heard from Remus since the fiasco at the Department of Mystery. No letter, no visit. Nothing…

Harry understood that Sirius death had hurt Remus, perhaps even more than himself, but still, he had hoped…

Harry snorted. Hope had never helped him. Every time he got his hopes up, something had destroyed it. Just another reason to go through with this plan.

He simply saw no reason to stay and see what would become of the wizarding world now that he had vanquished Voldemort and brought Tom Riddle back. He had done what had been expected of him, what the prophecy and Dumbledore and the public demanded. He would send the last letters and then he would rest.

He had enough. Enough of fighting in a war he had been forced to participate in. Enough of people dying. Enough of the responsibilities and the burden of being the Boy-Who-Lived.

He was exhausted… mentally, emotionally and physically.

He had known since first year and certainly since the moment Voldemort stepped out of the cauldron, that there was a big chance he would not make it out alive. He had accepted it. At least he could choose when and how and for what, he would go.

And in the end, he would see his parents and Sirius again.

A ruffle of feathers brought him out of his brooding. Harry opened his eyes and sat up to find Hedwig sat at her perch, regarding him with one of her looks, telling him he was stupid. Harry ignored it and walked to her. Gently caressing her white feathers.

"When did you get back? Have a nice flight? Do you want some rest, or are you up for more?"

Hedwig hooted exasperatedly and hopped onto his shoulder. Harry laughed, his mood lightening.

"Okay, okay... let me get the next letters."

He went to his desk, Hedwig tousling his hair. The stack of letters was certainly smaller now.

"Only a few left. Here you go." He tied the letters to her leg and watched as she left through the window.

Sighing and flopping on his bed again, Harry tried to think of something to do to keep the overwhelming boredom from killing him, before he could to it himself.

Perhaps he should write his memoirs?

Severus walked through the quiet corridors of Malfoy Manor, approaching the wing the Dark Lord was residing in. He was tired. The last hours had been exhausting, the potion had demanded all his concentration and all his skills as a Potion Master.

But he had done it.

He reached into the pocket of his robe, curling his fingers around the glass vial there. Pride filled him and satisfaction. Pettigrew had butchered the resurrection potion, it was a wonder it had functioned at all, and he was sure that some of it still lingered in the Dark Lord's body. He had found a way to remove the rest, though, and reverse the damage the wrongly brewed potion had caused.

Knocking on the door of the Dark Lord's office, he let himself wonder for a short moment how much everything had changed in just a day. Yesterday morning he had sat in his kitchen, trying to ignore his worry for his future as a spy. Everything had changed, thanks to a letter from Potter – of all the people. Severus snorted and opened the door after he received permission.

The Dark Lord sat in one of the armchairs and opposite him, Lucius and Thaddaeus.

"Ah Severus, come in and sit. Lucius and Thaddaeus brought back their research." The Dark Lord waved him to an empty armchair.

Severus bowed and pulled the glass vial out of his pocket.

"I also have news, my Lord." He placed the vial on the table in front of the Dark Lord, who looked at the glass vial, and then at Severus.

Reading the question in those red eyes, Severus nodded. "Yes, my Lord. Pettigrew butchered the resurrection potions. I think most of the remaining disfigurements are caused by this, perhaps not everything, but this we can only determine after the damage is healed. There is a remnant of the potion left in your system, which we must first neutralize and draw out. A simple detoxification potion should be enough, my Lord." Severus brought out another vial and placed it next to the first one on the table.

The Dark Lord studied the vials, picked the first one up, opened it and sniffed. His eyes grew wide and he looked at Severus, who nodded.

"Yes, my Lord. Your homunculus was sustained by Nagini's venom and Unicorn blood, but for the resurrection potion only Unicorn blood was needed, something Pettigrew overlooked, so he added the snake venom. The unicorn blood for the potion should also have been freely given to exhibit its full properties, another mistake of the rat. He contaminated the potion with Nagini's scales, his own sweat and dust from where ever he was brewing. He used dried Valerian roots instead of fresh ones and…" Severus stopped as the Dark Lord raised a hand placatingly.

"Thank you, Severus. I don't think you have to list all the mistakes Pettigrew made. I pledge insanity as the reason why I let him handle something so important." A smirk found its way to the Dark Lords face, and the other three men in the room looked dumbfounded.

Had the Dark Lord really made a joke at his own expense? All three men in the room tried, unsuccessfully, to hide their bewilderment.

Severus was the first to recover.

"Certainly, my Lord. I would suggest taking these potions with someone attending to you. The detoxification could be quite painful and exhausting, and the healing will also not be pleasant."

"How long do you think will it take for these potions to work?" The Dark Lord enquired.

"The detoxification should only take a few minutes, perhaps half an hour, depending on how your body reacts and if it helps or fights the potion. The healing potion will take longer to perform its properties. Perhaps one or two hours… I cannot be entirely sure." Severus trailed off.

The Dark Lord looked thoughtful.

"Then I will take them after this conversation. Lucius and Thaddaeus brought back some interesting findings and we should discuss them."

Severus nodded and settled back in his armchair. The Dark Lord called for a house-elf to bring some tea and sandwiches and shifted his attention to the other two men.

"Continue Lucius."

The blond gathered the parchment he had set aside when Severus had entered and addressed the Dark Lord, who prepared his tea while listening to the aristocrat.

"My Lord, we think we found an old law we could use under the current circumstance. If we play it right, you would be declared innocent of every crime before you gained your second body." Lucius explained, taking a teacup for himself.

"Tell me about this law." The Dark Lord leaned back in his armchair with an intrigued expression, taking a gulp from his tea, a quiet content sigh escaping him.

Even with his almost human features, it was a shockingly human behaviour and Severus was sure he had never heard it from the Dark Lord before.

Meanwhile Lucius started explaining their findings.

"It is called the law of Haxby. In short, it says that a witch or wizard who has been forced from their bodies, and later regained a body of their own again, are not to be held accountable for what they did before said body. Anyone who has been a bodiless spirit for any length of time and obtained a new human body can call on this law. These witches and wizards are considered new-borns, free of everything they had done or not done before being reborn." Lucius paused, and Thaddaeus took over.

"It was passed as a law because in the early 1300's several witches were tricked by a Potion Master to drink a portion that made them lose their bodies. Their spirits were forced into bodies he created for them. To help the victims in the aftermath, the law was created. The original reason behind it was to help the freed witches after their bodies were restored, so they would not be held responsible for the things done while under the influence of that wizard." Thaddaeus elaborated, looking disgusted at the action of this Potion Master. "A similar arrangement to that made for victims of the Imperius curse."

Severus could only agree. The Dark Lord glanced at Lucius pensively, setting his teacup aside, and tapped his fingers against his armrest.

"That certainly sounds like something we can use in my case. If we find a believable story for why I lost my body, and if Severus potions help me regain my complete human body."

"My Lord, I am sure they will change the law after you use it to your advantage. We checked every occurrence the law has been used, but as long as it still enforced, you can use it to start anew." Thaddaeus slid the parchment about the law of Haxby over the table to the Dark Lord, who read over it and leaned back thoughtfully in his chair.

"This really sounds perfect for my situation. Well done, Lucius and Thaddaeus. If I use my insanity and unstable condition, I think the penalty for the known crimes since I regained my body will be manageable. So, the best course of action would be to take Severus' potions and then, if I look human again, we'll have to find a way to call in a Wizengamot meeting. We need some powerful allies, someone not too obvious, on our side."

"The Minister doesn't listen to me anymore, not since the fiasco with the Department of Ministry." Lucius sighed. "And technically, I should be still in Azkaban."

"That is true…" The Dark Lord mused. "Would declaring that I forced you to do everything under the threat of harming your family, especially your heir, help?"

Lucius' head came up in surprise. Thaddaeus frowned and tapped his chin thoughtfully.

"Yes, it would help. Under the family law §721 it says, that if the family line and their continuation is in danger of going extinct because of occurrences outside of the family's control, and a member of the family commits a crime with the assumption to prevent his family line from dying out, the accused can be charged milder or declared completely innocent, based on the crime. It's an old pure-blood law, but still enforced." He elaborated.

"But it only holds if there is really only one heir and no other family members. In the case of the Nott family the law could not be used, because my father had three sister who were all married into pure-blood families from the continent. Even if Theodore and I die, the Nott inheritance would still go to the oldest male from one of those families."

"The Malfoy family has only produced one male child since at least seven generations ago. So, beside Draco and myself, there is really no Malfoy blood left." Lucius sounded bitter. Severus knew how much his friend had wanted another child after Draco, but every other pregnancy had resulted either in a stillbirth or miscarriage.

The Dark Lord glanced shortly at him. "In this case, the law would hold for you Lucius. After I am a normal citizen again, you can declare that everything you did was under the threat of killing your son. You will have to behave like you had no choice in doing what you did. Be hostile, or wary of my presence in public."

Lucius looked thoughtful but also slightly insulted that the Dark Lord thought he needed to be reminded of his behaviour. "We can definitely make that believable. I will be hostile towards you, but grudgingly support your political objectives, as they still overlap with the ones I supported during your absence."

The Dark Lord nodded. "And it would give more credibility to my story. We'll have to see what we can do after my own Wizengamot trial for the other convicted Death Eaters. On another note, I want to change the name from Death Eaters to the original Knights of Walpurgis."

All three men acknowledged this with a nod.

"Good. So, who could we contact to bring my case in front of the Wizengamot? It should be someone with enough influence to call an emergency session. We don't want to wait long, or Dumbledore and his Order could move against us." Here the Dark Lord took a quick glance at Severus.

"At the moment, Dumbledore is apprehensive that you took no further action this summer, my Lord. I have not heard from him in the last few days."

"Report back after the old man contacts you. Back to the topic. Who should be approached?"

"Why don't I go to either the Minister or Amelia Bones, the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement?" Thaddaeus asked. "I was never convicted, or even accused, of being a Death Eater. My reputation as a solicitor would bring more credibility to the story and Fudge or Madam Bones would not brush my words aside. He is too afraid what I could do with my influence and reputation in the Ministry and certain social circles, and she is known to be serious, fair, unbiased and someone who would ensure that the law would be upheld. I could bring the case in front of the Wizengamot myself, but it would take days till the trial, days Dumbledore could use to interfere. If I go as your solicitor to the Minister, or the Head of the DMLE, one of them could set an emergency session. My law office is one of the most highly respected and we have quite a reputation. If I officially take your case, not even Dumbledore could brush it aside, my Lord."

The Dark Lord looked at Thaddaeus in surprise. "When you came into my service the agreement was that you would never have to officially associate with me. I needed someone who was knowledgeable in the judicial system and therefore was willing to do it this way, even as insane as I already was. You really want to throw this arrangement aside now?"

Thaddaeus smiled slightly. "My Lord, I am from an older generation than Lucius and Severus. I remember the beginnings, when you still had some of your sanity and brilliance. I wore your Mark with pride, even if nobody ever saw it. I hoped that I would still be alive, to see you whole again. And even if you were insane most of the time, you still showed mercy for never standing openly at your side. I would be proud to do this now. And the reputation I built up over the years will now be put to good use for you." He inclined his head to the Dark Lord, who watched him with something like fondness in his eyes, if Severus interpreted it correctly.

"Very well, we will do it this way then. We only have to decide whom you should approach. It would be best if I leave Malfoy Manor as well. If Lucius' defence will be based on his unwillingness and forced participation, I should not reside here. I will move to Riddle Manor, where I will remain till after the Wizengamot trial."

Lucius did not try to object, but simply called a house-elf, ordering it to pack the Dark Lords belongings.

"The question remains, the Minister or Madam Bones?"

Lucius and Thaddaeus exchanged a quick glance.

"The Minister is desperate at the moment. There are rumours, now that there is evidence of your return, that he will be replaced. His reputation suffered a great deal because of his denial of your resurrection since last summer and his slander of Dumbledore and Potter, who were telling the truth all along. This would make it easier to manipulate him, but he would also be a weak ally and his word is not worth much amongst the members of the Wizengamot." The blond aristocrat mused.

"Madam Bones is fair, truthful to the bone and much harder to convince, but if she would convene the Wizengamot meeting and back up our case, then we would already have most of the light and at least half of the neutral parties on our side." Lucius continued.

"So, Minister Fudge would be the easier catch but the weaker support, but to win Madam Bones, the background story and the evidence must be incontrovertible." The Dark Lord summarized and thoughtfully picked up his teacup.

"I can produce memories which would back up the story I want to go with and I would submit myself to a Veritaserum interrogation. I could call in a healer, one of our own, to test me for residual dark magic. Would a report of my mental health, together with the findings of a residue from a dark curse be of assistance to convince Madam Bones of my sincerity?" He chuckled as he saw the expression on the other men's faces.

Thaddaeus cleared his throat. "If a report like that is producible, best from a well-known healer with a reputation in the healing of mental and curse diseases, it would be more than helpful. If you know a healer who would be willing to fake such a report, he should be contacted immediately, my Lord."

The smile the Dark Lord gave the three men in his office showed a lot of amusement and was downright chilling.

"The report will be with you in the next hour. Lucius, Thaddaeus did you find out the requirements for me to take on the Slytherin Lordship?" The Dark Lord moved on to the next point on his agenda.

Lucius nodded and summarized the findings while Thaddaeus nibbled at some cucumber sandwiches.

"The information was not hard to find, Thaddaeus simply looked into the Lord and Ladyship charter at the Ministry. You have to prove you are an ancestor of Slytherin with a simple blood heritage test, then try on the Slytherin Lord ring and speak the Slytherin family oath in Parseltongue, if the magic accepts you and settles in, you are declared Lord Slytherin."

The Dark Lord looked stunned. "That is all?"

"Yes, my Lord." The blond aristocrat confirmed. "But as we understood it, the family oath and the Lordship ring will test you for the family magic. Everyone who falsely tries to claim the Slytherin Lordship or who does not have enough family blood, will be severely punished. As my Lord already exhibits the most well-known family magic, Parseltongue, I don't see that there will be a problem."

"Excellent. After I claim the Slytherin Lordship, I will officially change my name to Marvolo Slytherin."

They all emptied their teacups.

"Now, let's proceed. I will move to Riddle Manor to take the potions after we have finished. Severus, please pack everything you think you will need from the potions lab and accompany me. Lucius, you should contact your own solicitor and prepare to bring your case in front of the Wizengamot in a few days. The best would be to start with my reasons for getting you out of Azkaban, it was solely for punishment at this time. Thaddaeus, stay for a few minutes, we have to craft a background story for my insanity and bodiless time."

The Dark Lord smirked, satisfied with the situation so far.

Lucius and Severus stood up, bowed and left the room. While Thaddaeus prepared himself another cup of tea and started to fabricate a believable background story for the Dark Lord.

"But Mum, we just degnomed the gardens yesterday." Ron complained as he followed his mother through the door into the kitchen.

"Yes, and they're already back, so you and Ginny will degnome it again after lunch." Mrs Weasley told her youngest son, hurrying through the kitchen to the oven to start preparing lunch. She stopped as she saw the package lying on the kitchen table.

"Ron did an owl arrive while I was out this morning?"

"No, but I was in my room most of the time and for the last two hours I was outside flying."

Ron picked the package up and opened it, several letters fell out, all addressed in the same very familiar handwriting of his best friend. He picked the one with his name on it and turned it over, inspecting it. His mother looked through the rest of the pile, registering the names and frowned.

"Why would Harry write us this many letters? He knows he shouldn't write at all, with You-Know-Who and his Death Eaters swarming around." Mrs Weasley sounded unsure. "Perhaps we should wait till your father is back to read them, all together at the same time."

Ron, who was in the process of opening the letter addressed to him, locked up.

"Why? Why can't I read it now? Harry is my best mate, why shouldn't I read a letter addressed to me?"

Mrs Weasley sighed.

"Is this the first time that Harry sent a letter this summer?"

"Yes." Ron frowned.

"And so far, Harry has never written to every one of us at the same time. Why should he do now? And send them all together? It must be something important, and I don't want to miss anything in these letters. Perhaps he needed to tell us something but could not write it down in a straightforward way. Instead he wrote all of us letters. There could be separate clues in every one of those. And perhaps we'll have to contact Professor Dumbledore, depending on the content. I have an uneasy feeling about this, so I want to wait for your father." Mrs Weasley told him sternly.

Ron sighed and placed the letter back on the kitchen table.

"Okay."

"Be a dear and floo call your brothers. I want them here this evening. I want us all to read these letters at the same time and see if we can't puzzle together whatever is going on with Harry."

Ron was halfway to the fireplace when he hesitated.

"But Mum, there is even a letter for Percy." He spoke in a quiet voice.

Mrs Weasley, who had turned around and started to chop vegetables for lunch, paused.

"Send it with Errol to him but add a note and explain the situation."

Ron looked at his mother's back, gnawing on his lower lip. The situation with Percy was hard for his parents, especially his mother, together with the war breaking out and the happenings a few weeks ago at the Department of Mystery she was constantly worrying. Walking over to her, he briefly hugged her back and whispered: "Everything will be okay, you will see." Then he left the kitchen to find parchment, quill and ink.

After arriving at Riddle Manor, Marvolo called for the house-elves Lucius had sent over earlier and asked which wing had been cleaned and was available. He did not like being at the Manor, but it was the only property available at the moment. He planned to go to Gringotts after gaining the Lordship to see if there were properties from the Slytherin inheritance available. He did not want to stay in Riddle Manor any longer than necessary. It was long past it's glories days, dark and threatful.

Severus trailed silently behind him as he made his way to one of the cleaned chambers. He was surprised when he opened the door. The house-elves had worked wonders. The room was clean and smelled fresh, the fireplace was lit and the furniture looked used, but well kept. It was a spacious room, with big windows looking out over the gardens. A big soft cream coloured carpet muffled their steps. The seating area contained a small settee and two armchairs, all in darker tones.

Marvolo laid down on the settee, while Severus took one of the armchairs and placed the two potion vials on the table between them. The Potions Master then called one of the house-elves to bring tea and water.

"The detoxification will certainly dehydrate you, my Lord. It would be best to drink enough before taking the healing potion."

Marvolo nodded in understanding, took the potion and emptied the vial in one swallow, then he laid down again and closed his eyes.

He could feel the potion moving down, settling into his stomach. A cold burning started to radiate through his body, centred somewhere in the middle of his body. He could practically feel the potion shifting through his blood stream, intruding into his muscles, bones and organs, searching and gathering all the remnants of the resurrection potion.

Severus brought out a notebook and a quill. He would carefully watch and note down the effects of the potions. He had already placed his emergency potion kit beside his chair. He was fairly sure that he brewed the potions correctly, but because the healing part was such an unknown quantity he wanted to be prepared for everything.

The moment the detoxification began the Dark Lord went stiff, he tensed all his muscles and fisted his hands.

Severus knew it would not be pleasant and it would be so much worse if the man before him did not relax, so he opened his potions bag and brought out another vial. He opened it and heated the liquid inside with a quick warming charm. Then he put the vial on the table near the Dark Lords head and directed the fumes with his wand in his direction, making it possible for the man to inhale it with every breath he took.

After a few moments, the soothing and relaxing properties started working and the abused muscles relaxed while the body sank further into the cushions, letting the detox-potion work.

Severus settled back into his armchair and observed carefully. When the Dark Lord shuddered violently he conjured a bucket beside the settee. A few more shattered breaths and the Dark Lord leaned over and brought up everything the potion had found and removed from his body. It took several minutes before the red-eyed man leaned back on the settee, drawing rasping breaths, and nodded gratefully when Severus handed him a glass of water followed by a cup of tea with honey to sooth his throat.

"That was certainly not pleasant." The Dark Lord rasped.

Severus only nodded and waited. The man before him sighed and reached for the other vial, emptying it again in one swallow.

The potion's effect was immediate, the Dark Lord's body shuddered, and his eyes rolled back and blacked out. Severus was at his side instantly, checking him for his vitals and was relieved to find them a little fast, perhaps, but strong.

Severus observed, fascinated how the body before him changed slowly. The nose grew, and the white complexion changed to a healthier colour- still pale, like he had not seen the sun in a long time, but with a light golden undertone. His figure filled out a little, enough to change from thin to slim. All in all, he looked entirely human again.

In the end, the healing process took far less time than Severus had anticipated. About an hour later, the man on the settee groaned and opened his eyes slowly. Severus noticed that they were still a dark red colour. It seemed the changed eye colour was not caused by the resurrection potion.

The Dark Lord slowly sat up and reached the pain-relieving potion Severus had placed on the table for him, drinking it gratefully.

Severus observed as the man conjured a small mirror and examined his reflection. The long, elegant fingers running over the bridge of his nose, together with the high cheekbones and well-formed brows gave his face aristocratic lines and made him quite handsome. He did not look older than thirty-five.

"It seemed the eyes are a result of the Horcruxes or perhaps the excessive use of Dark Magic." The Dark Lord spoke, his voice which had already lost its hissing undertones due to the soul-piece merging, was now a deep and melodic baritone.

"Yes, it seems so, my Lord." Severus hesitated. "If you want, I have a hair-lengthening potion at hand."

The Dark Lord looked again in the mirror and ran his finger through the short dark curls.

"That would be beneficial."

Severus placed another potions vial in front of the Dark Lord, who prepared himself another cup of tea and leaned back on the settee.

"That will be all for now Severus. You should return to Hogwarts or your own house, in case the Headmaster summons you. Come back when you have something noteworthy to report. I will call for you should I need you." The Dark Lord dismissed him.

"Yes, my Lord."

Severus stood up, bowed and left the room.

AN: Thanks for reading, let me know what you think.

Many thanks to a-bit-of-madness for helping to improve my spelling and grammar.

First published: 12th of September 2018

Last edited: 25th of November 2018