Matchmakers.
The Dark Lord sat proudly at the head of the large oak table as beside him his seventeen year old daughter, Hermione, laid out her plans for the coming year. In a matter of weeks, Hermione would be returning to Hogwarts for her final year and Voldemort was determined it would be his daughter's last year posing as a muggleborn, which was how she'd spent the last six years. Hermione was full in agreement with her father, and she'd come up with a plan in which Voldemort and his Death Eaters could gain access to the school, take out Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter, and win the war for good.
Currently Hermione was addressing Voldemort's inner circle, which was made up of his most trusted Death Eaters. The vast majority of Voldemort's Death Eaters didn't know anything about Hermione, but his inner circle had always known of her existence and upon his return to full strength two years ago, Voldemort had introduced Hermione to the group. In the previous two years Hermione had proven herself to be a formidable witch time and time again, and Voldemort knew every Death Eater in the room were as loyal to her as they were to him.
Although Hermione hadn't totally relied on just getting support from Voldemort's existing Death Eaters, she'd also recruited a few supporters of her own. Hermione supporters were wizards she went to school with, and aside from one of them, all their fathers were already Death Eaters. In time the boys would have likely joined Voldemort anyway, but Hermione had reached them first and now even though they were officially Death Eaters, Voldemort knew their loyalty was to Hermione first, and then him. Not that it was really a problem as Voldemort rather liked the fact that Hermione had her own inner circle of supporters who would do anything for her.
As well as Voldemort's inner circle being present, a selection of Hermione's supporters were also in the room. Even though she had a couple of older wizards in her ranks, Hermione had chosen five boys who were still in Hogwarts alongside her to attend the meeting. After all, they would play a big part in her plan, and Hermione wanted to make sure they all knew what they were doing so they wouldn't mess up when the time came to make their move later in the year.
Having already heard the plan dozens of times, and having made a few tweaks to improve things, Voldemort tuned out as his daughter made her speech. Instead of thinking about what would happen to end the war, his thoughts turned to what would happen once the dark were victorious. Of course Voldemort wasn't foolish enough to think that killing Dumbledore and Potter would completely put an end to the Order's resistance, but with their two main leaders gone he knew any opposition they could muster would be half hearted and easy to deal with as and when the need arose. On a whole, Voldemort was convinced their victory at Hogwarts would bring about major changes to the wizarding world as they finally got the power he'd been after for so many years.
Voldemort wasn't at all concerned about what would happen to him once they'd achieved their goals, his thoughts were on Hermione. He knew his daughter and he knew how single minded she'd been over the last six years. She'd endured six years of pretence, just to get close to Potter so when the time was right she could lead him to his death. She was just as invested in gaining control as her father was, and Voldemort knew that once they had control all of Hermione's energies would be spent keeping it and making sure any threats were dealt with swiftly and efficiently. And while all that sounded ideal, Voldemort was worried about his daughter's personal life. He didn't want her to end up like him, a cold shell of a person who only had enough room in his heart to love one person, his daughter.
Voldemort could only ever remember loving one person his entire life, and he was fairly sure that if it hadn't been for Hermione he never would have known love at all. He'd grown up in a lonely muggle orphanage, and by the time he'd started Hogwarts he was already a loner and had accepted that he would never be loved. As such, he didn't allow people to really get to know him and when he'd discovered the lure of the Dark Arts, he'd opened his heart to the darkness. That wasn't to say he didn't have friends, because he did, and he genuinely cared for a lot of his Death Eaters, but he didn't love. Until Hermione, he didn't love anything or anyone.
Even though he didn't do love, it didn't mean Voldemort didn't have needs. He was still a man after all, and as fulfilling as the Dark Arts were they were no substitute for having a willing witch in his bed. Voldemort had never been an unattractive man, and although his nature was slightly frosty he had enough bad boy charm about him so that enough women willingly fell into his bed. Normally, Voldemort was very careful about fathering a child, but something must have gone wrong at some point as one day one of his flings turned up on his doorstep with a child in her arms. The witch in question had been sick, and she'd barely managed to pass Hermione over to Voldemort before she died.
Voldemort had initially thought about abandoning the child, after all what would he want with a child. But when it came to it, he found that he couldn't abandon his own flesh and blood. Instead, he'd kept Hermione and within days she'd wormed her way into his cold heart and he realised for the first time in his life that he loved another human being. For Voldemort that was enough and although he had a regular lover in the shape of Bellatrix Lestrange, he wanted more for his daughter. He didn't want her to become so consumed by her thirst for power that she ended up all alone with nothing or no-one to love except him. He wanted his daughter to have everything, including love.
"Father." Hermione's sharp rebuke brought Voldemort to his senses, and he realised she was looking at him expectantly.
"Sorry, what was that?" He asked.
"I was asking if you had anything to add," Hermione replied through clenched teeth and Voldemort knew his daughter was annoyed with him for zoning out while she'd been running over her plan.
"I think you've covered everything," Voldemort said. "After all, this is your moment to shine, Hermione. This is your plan, and you have to put it together and make sure we've got no loose ends."
"There isn't any loose ends," Hermione said.
"In that case, we can end the meeting," Voldemort said. "We all know what's coming and we can all get prepared."
With a nod, Hermione rose to her feet. Stalking down the room, she clicked her fingers at her group of five followers and the teenage boys jumped to their feet and followed their mistress out of the room. Or rather four of them jumped to their feet and scurried after Hermione. Draco Malfoy got to his feet in his own leisurely time and he strolled out of the room as though he was Hermione's equal, rather than one of her followers.
Once Hermione and her band of Death Eaters had left the room, Voldemort dismissed everyone else. Within five minutes the room was clear, with only Bellatrix still in residence. Even though Bellatrix was Voldemort's regular lover, she didn't live with The Dark Lord and his daughter. Even though Bellatrix knew Voldemort didn't love her, or at least he thought he didn't, she did know he cared deeply about her and in her opinion he wasn't quite as closed off to love as he thought he was. She was half hoping that one day he would wake up and realise that what he felt for her was love and then they could have a proper future together, but until then she was happy to keep things the way they were.
"Do you want me to go?" Bellatrix questioned.
"No," Voldemort answered as he rose to his feet. "Come and have a drink with me, I've got something I wish to discuss with you."
Voldemort and Bellatrix retired to Voldemort's study, where he poured them both a generous glass of firewhisky as they settled down on the sofa in front of the fire. Once they were settled, Voldemort confided in Bellatrix the fears he had over Hermione neglecting her personal life.
"Like father, like daughter," Bellatrix replied with a chuckle. "She's so much like you."
"She's too much like me," Voldemort muttered. "I need to do something, Bella."
"What?" Bellatrix questioned with a frown. "You can't force her to have a love life."
"Can't I?" Voldemort returned with a sly smile.
"You've got a plan, haven't you?" Bellatrix asked warily. She actually liked Hermione and the pair got alone splendidly, so she didn't really want to get involved with something that could ruin her relationship with Hermione, but at the same time she wasn't going to be able to say no if Voldemort asked for her help.
"I do," Voldemort confirmed. "I'm going to find Hermione a husband."
"Yes, because that always ends well," Bellatrix scoffed. "I can tell you from experience, picking a husband for her is not the way to go. My parents did that and I can't stand Rodolphus."
"I'm going to put more thought into it than your parents did," Voldemort replied. "They were just looking for an available pureblood for you to marry. I'm looking for a wizard who can be my daughter's equal. I want someone who will love her deeply, but will stand by her side and support her as she runs the world."
"And just where are you going to find such a wizard?" Bellatrix asked.
"In case it slipped your notice, Bella, my daughter has a group of wizards who would give their lives for her," Voldemort replied with a casual shrug. "I'm sure one of them will fit the bill."
"Like who, Crabbe or Goyle?" Bellatrix laughed. "Don't get me wrong, they're both loyal boys but they're also both like their fathers, dim and uninspiring. Hermione would eat them for breakfast."
"I do agree Vince and Greg are no match for her," Voldemort said. "But we have other options. Both Marcus and Adrian are older and more mature."
"They're older, but I'm still not sure they could handle Hermione," Bellatrix replied thoughtfully as she considered Marcus Flint and Adrian Pucey as suitable suitors for Hermione.
"Maybe not," Voldemort agreed with a nod. "But I hadn't actually been considering any of those boys. I was thinking more along the lines of your nephew and his two friends."
"Draco, Blaise and Theo?" Bellatrix asked with a slow nod. "Yes, I guess all three of them could have potential."
"I thought so," Voldemort replied. "Let's start with the Nott boy. I do like him, he's very polite and he always treats Hermione with deference."
"Perhaps a bit too much though," Bellatrix pointed out. "Would he have the balls to tell her she was wrong if she made a bad decision?"
Voldemort tilted his head thoughtfully as he considered just how important it was to have someone who would support Hermione, but at the same time wouldn't just bow down to her and do whatever she said. Bellatrix was actually a great example of what Hermione's husband needed to be like. Bellatrix respected him and supported him, but she also wasn't afraid to call him out on his mistakes. Of course she wouldn't dream of doing it in public, but it private she always spoke her mind. But would Theo be able to do the same, or would he let himself be overwhelmed by Hermione and her forceful personality.
"That's something to bear in mind," Voldemort conceded. "But the Zabini boy, I don't see him as the type who would keep quiet if he thought Hermione was making a mistake."
"No, from what I've seen of Blaise he's very opinionated and he's certainly not shy in putting those opinions forward," Bellatrix agreed. "I think the trouble you would have with Blaise would be on a more personal level. He's a lovely boy, but he's not exactly the faithful type. He's already got a reputation as a heartbreaker and he hadn't even left Hogwarts."
"I've never heard about this reputation," Voldemort said with a frown.
"Hermione's mentioned it on more than one occasion," Bellatrix replied. "In fact, I know for a fact that last year she used his seduction skills to aid her plans. She was rather pleased that he managed to break up Potter and his girlfriend by seducing the little Weasley girl."
"Hmm, I don't want my daughter married to a player," Voldemort mused. "While Blaise's tricks can come in handy now, I wouldn't want to tie him to Hermione only to have him running about on her. Sadly, I think Blaise Zabini is off the table."
"And that leaves Draco," Bellatrix remarked.
"And does your nephew have a reputation like his friend's?" Voldemort asked.
"Not that I know of," Bellatrix replied. "He's a very attractive boy, and like his father oozes charm when he wants to, so I doubt he's an angel, but if he's anything like Lucius he'll be the faithful type. I mean, Lucius was no choir boy before he got with Narcissa, but the second they got involved she became the only witch on his radar. The man may be an insufferable git at times, but he's a model husband, and Draco will have been raised with those same values."
"That's good to hear," Voldemort replied with a nod. "And I already know he's no shrinking violet when it comes to giving his opinion. He wouldn't be afraid to tell Hermione if she was making a bad call."
"No, he wouldn't," Bellatrix agreed. "I know for a fact that last year they got into a blazing row because he felt Hermione was playing with fire by trying to get closer to the Weasley boy."
"And he was right," Voldemort muttered with a frown as he recalled the incident.
The entire incident had been very unsatisfactory as while Hermione's plan to get closer to Ron Weasley had sounded good in principal, it had very nearly backfired on them. Weasley had taken the move to mean he had the right to just wander into Hermione's room at Order Headquarters without knocking as her boyfriend and he'd very nearly caught her doing dark magic. As it was, Hermione had to act quickly and fake an argument so they could break up.
"Draco could be good for her," Voldemort continued. "As long as he's like Lucius, he'll be a good husband. He'll support Hermione and help her out when she needs it, and most importantly he's not intimidated by her."
"On paper they make a good match," Bellatrix agreed. "But what about love? Didn't you say you wanted Hermione to have love in her life?"
"Who's to say she won't get that with Draco?" Voldemort questioned. "They've certainly got a spark. I've witnessed it myself, the way Hermione lights up when she's bickering with Draco. I don't think it will take much to tip them over the edge and ignite their passions."
"So what now, you're going to play matchmaker with your daughter?" Bellatrix asked.
"I am," Voldemort replied with a smirk. "Just telling her she's going to marry Draco will be a mistake, she'll rebel on principal. But if we're smart, we can bring them together without either of them realising just what's going on. We can work this so they think their entire romance is their own doing."
Chuckling at Voldemort's plan, Bellatrix raised her glass and clinked it with Voldemort's. Chugging back their drinks, neither of them spotted the two shadows in the hallway outside the partly open door to the study.
Outside in the hallway, Draco was smirking smugly at the conversation he'd overheard while Hermione was frowning. The others had already left, and Hermione and Draco had been heading out to grab a few things for the upcoming year when they'd passed Voldemort's study and heard him talking to Bellatrix. Hermione had stopped to listen when she'd heard her father mention her name, but she wasn't exactly thrilled with what she'd just heard.
Still frowning, she turned to Draco and gave the blond a withering glare when she noticed the smirk on his handsome face.
"You can wipe that look off your face," she snapped. "It's not happening."
"Your father seems to think it is," Draco replied cheekily.
"Well, my father cannot control my love life, no matter who he is," Hermione retorted as she stalked away from her father's office. "I will not be forced into marriage. Especially with you."
"And what's wrong with me?" Draco asked with a pout. He'd always gotten the impression Hermione was rather attracted to him and it stung his ego to discover she wasn't interested in marrying him. "Your father thinks we're the perfect match."
"There's no such thing as perfect," Hermione replied with a shrug. "Besides, his comments about Theo and Blaise were wildly inaccurate."
"To me it sounded as though he had the pair of them pegged perfectly," Draco said. "Theo isn't strong enough to handle a dark witch like yourself, and Blaise isn't going to just settle down and become good husband material."
"Just because Theo isn't cheeky enough to talk back to me in public, doesn't mean he's afraid of me," Hermione said, giving Draco another withering glare. "And as for Blaise, I could tame him."
"No-one can tame Blaise Zabini," Draco laughed.
"I could," Hermione repeated with confidence. "And it would be great fun trying. He's very fit, and it would be no hardship letting him in to my bed. I think Blaise could be just what I need in a man. A real challenge."
Draco snorted in response and Hermione smirked at his put-out expression. In actual fact she agreed with her father in his opinions of Blaise and Theo, and she knew neither of them were husband material. However, Draco was quite possibly her ideal match. If she had to pick any of the three to marry, it would undoubtedly be Draco. However, she wasn't going to admit that to the blond Slytherin. It was much more fun and wind him up by inferring that she wouldn't get involved with him. Not that she planned on getting involved with Draco purely on principal. She was not going to let her father dictate how she lived her life and who she married.
"Since I run my life, there's no point dwelling on father's ridiculous plans. We've got work to do, so let's go." Hermione said, turning back to the business in hand.
"This won't be the last we hear of this," Draco said as he followed Hermione away from her father's study and towards the front door.
"We'll see," Hermione replied with a shrug. "But as I said, Draco, don't go getting any ideas. No matter what my father wants, I will not marry someone he wants me to. I will choose my own husband, and it won't be you."
"We'll see," Draco retorted, mirroring Hermione's carefree tone of voice. Personally he was backing Voldemort to get what he wanted, which was good for him as it meant he got what he wanted in Hermione.
Hermione gave Draco one final glare before they left the house and got on with business. Right now she had other things to focus on rather that her father's matchmaking. She would deal with her father if it became necessary, although hopefully he would drop his foolish idea to marry her off to Draco. Hermione was determined it wasn't going to happen, even if the idea filled her with excitement deep down. However, fate had other ideas for the feisty witch and all too soon she would be happily married to Draco while she ruled over the wizarding world in all her dark glory.