Standing off to the side of the stage, Albus watched as people filled Hogsmead. He couldn't help but feel relieved as the people went from trickling to pouring in. When he first arrived and saw that outside a few ministry officials and shop owners, the small village was empty, he'd tried to ignore the worry and anger that started to build as it looked like his plan would fail. Thankfully not long after he'd taken up a spot on the stage, people began to appear. First one or two, then in groups. Looking out over the large crowd, he was satisfied. His plan may not have been going according to plan, at least his original plan, but at least it was still salvageable.

He hated that it came down to this show. He had wanted the wizarding world to be afraid, terrified even when they learned of Harry's death. He wanted them desperate. He wanted them to come to him begging for him to help, to save them. But it hadn't happened. Sure, at first, it seemed like it might go how he had planned. But not two days later, the panic had died down, and it had enraged him. He knew Tom was to blame; he just couldn't figure out how. Then the man had done it again today; the people gathering before him showed a little fear, some sadness, but mostly curiosity.

If he wasn't so pissed about it, Albus might find it amusing that Tom Riddle had found a way to soothe away people's fears instead of inciting them. No matter, he had worked around Tom's interferences before, he would do so again.

Studying the crowd, he spotted a small cluster of students, Longbottom, Thomas, Finnigan, as well as the remaining members of the Gryffindor quidditch team. The Weasley twins seemed to be offering comfort to a teary-eyed Longbottom. Albus scoffed. The small group was probably the only one here that genuinely cared about Harry's death.

"Ah, Albus," Fudge said as he walked up behind him, "such a sad day," the pathetic man patted him on the shoulder, "if there is anything else you need, please let me know."

"Cornelius, you have done enough. I'm sure Mister Potter would have been happy to see the effort and care you have taken with the memorial." He gave the man a soft smile, "now, however, I need to see how Miss Weasley is fairing. This has, after all, been quite overwhelming for her."

"Of course, of course," the man said with a nod before turning away to talk to Lucius Malfoy, who had been standing nearby.

Ignoring the incompetent Minister and the vile Death Eater, he walked over to his own people. Molly and Ginevra were rereading the young Weasley's speech. Arthur, Bill, and Charlie were off to the side. Arthur was biting his bottom lip as he watched his wife and daughter, clearly worried. The two elder Weasley children looked frustrated, and he couldn't help but be concerned. Neither man had hidden their doubts about Harry's death; lately, they had been pulling away from him and the Order.

He knew he needed to do something soon to get them back in line, but he wanted to be careful. They were already distrustful; he didn't want to push too hard and have them turn against him. The Weasleys were now his center stone of support, and he hoped to make them the public face of his new war effort. An idea that the people could relate to them and look up to them. Having them, splinter would do no good.

"Albus," Molly called him over, "Do you think this should be reworded? Ginny doesn't think it sounds like something Harry would say?"

Harry

Harry woke up the morning of his memorial feeling excited. Today was going to be a good day. Voldemort had planned everything, and he couldn't help but trust the man's plans. He wasn't happy about not being able to play a more significant part in the day's events, but he couldn't wait to see Sirius and Remus again in person. He was tired of mirror calls and whispered messages from Severus or the twins.

A knock on the door had him jumping out of bed, "coming!" he shouted as he rushed across the room and opened the door.

Only to come face to face with a grinning Draco. "Excited?" the blonde teased, looking smug.

"Good morning Draco," he greeted his friend instead of answering the obvious question.

The Slytherin reached out, grabbed his arm, and pulled him into a hug, "Morning, Harry." The hug was grounding, and Harry felt himself relax a little.

A not-so-subtle cough had them breaking apart. Harry couldn't help but glare at Barty, who grinned back at him.

"Hurry along and get dressed, Little Lord. You're needed in our Lord's office." He grumbled under his breath about the 'little lord' comment as he moved back into his room. Barty had started it up after Voldemort had filled in the Manor's occupants on his relation to Harry. He could almost ignore it, but after Barty started using it, all three Lestranges and the twins had picked it up. They all kept using it, despite him begging them not to.

He knew the twins were doing it because it amused them. He felt like Bella was doing it because she didn't know how else to address him. The Lestrange brothers confused him. He could tell they respected their Lord; he almost believed they, like Bella, felt a need for some of that respect to carry over to him; however, he also noticed they seemed to find his annoyance at the title amusing.

Opening his closet, he stared at the clothes inside. When Draco had said his mother had bought him an alarming amount of stuff, Harry had thought maybe a trunk full. Which was more than he had ever owned in his life.

But he'd been wrong, very wrong. He now had a magically enhanced closet full of, well, everything. He had trousers, jeans, dress pants, robes, shirts, T-shirts, dress shirts, underclothes, cloaks, sleep ware, things he didn't even know the name of, and more shoes and boots than he could ever wear. His hands shook as he tried to narrow down what he wanted to wear.

He hears a snort behind him. He didn't turn. He knew it was Draco. "Help?" he said as he let his shoulders slump in defeat. He hated how overwhelmed just looking in the closed made him feel.

Thankfully the blonde didn't say anything, just brushed past him with a slight touch at their shoulders before he pulled out an outfit and waved his wand, making a pair of black boots fly into Harry's arms.

"Thanks," he said as he took the arm full of clothes and rushed into his bathroom to change.

He had to admit that owning clothes that actually fit was awesome. As was knowing they were his. Not hand-me-downs or leftovers that his cousin didn't fit in or like anymore. Plus, they were really nice. The dark green shirt Draco had picked out was soft and smooth, with no tattered ends, no holes, or questionable stains. Harry couldn't stop running his hands down it. The pants, black, fit perfectly, no belt or tie needed, not to mention they were super comfortable. Harry had no idea what material they were made of, but he loved them.

"Ready?" Draco asked when he walked out of the bathroom.

The excited feeling that had faded a bit while dealing with his clothes and getting dressed returned full force as he and Draco headed for Voldemort's office.

Despite Draco's muttered comments and Barty's snickering, Harry didn't not, in fact, skip through the hallway. He might have walked a little faster than usual, but that was it. He did not need to knock or wait at the office door for the first time. It was already open, Voldemort and Lucius standing behind the Dark Lord's desk, reading over some papers. Probably the exact same papers they had already read over and told him about. He shook his head at the pair. He might not have understood all the facts of their relationship or how Lady Malfoy fit it, but he could see why they worked. Not that he would tell either of them his thoughts, mostly because he wasn't sure they would find it amusing as Harry that he the thought they were worrywarts who tended over think and over plan everything.

"Ah good, you're here," Voldemort said as they entered. Harry wasn't sure what it was, maybe the softening of his jaw or the way his eyes seemed to brighten, but he got the impression that the man was relieved he had come. Like he had expected Harry to have second thoughts or change his mind. He gave the man a smile, which to his surprise, was returned.

Then the Dark Lord cleared his throat, and his face fell into a more neutral stern look. He almost snorted at the change but refrained. "Lucius has places to be," the man said with a slight wave of his hand toward the blond man, "there are three forms you need to sign; we discussed them yesterday, but if you have any questions, ask," then the man seemed to hesitate, he looked at Harry, "If you sure this is what you want, all you need to do is sign, Lucius will handle the rest on his way to the memorial."

He was more than a little grateful for the not-so-subtle chance of backing out, not that he planned on accepting. However, the fact that he knew how badly the man wanted this and that he was still willing to give Harry chance after chance to change his mind made him feel special and cared for, something he'd only gotten a little glimpse of though out his life, all of which had been in the last couple of years.

He smiled at his grandfather as he walked over to the desk, plucked the quill out of Lucius's hand, and signed his name on the first document. Unlike the Dark Lord, Lucius showed no hesitation as he moved the top parchment and pointed out where Harry needed to sign on the second and third.

There was no big flash of light or show of magic, yet when he had signed the R of his last name on the last parchment, Harry felt so overwhelmed he swayed a little. Both Voldemort, or should he start calling him grandfather now?, and Draco caught him. He laughed a little, feeling giddy and lightheaded. He had family, actual family. Not just Sirius or Remus, but someone who was related to him by blood and magic.

"Are you alright?" his grandfather asked softly. Harry nodded, he was tempted to hug him, but he still barely knew the man and wasn't sure how that would go over, so instead, he looked him straight in the eye and said, "thank you." he silently prayed the man understood, juts how much this meant to him.

"I believe you have that backward," the man said with a smile, "I should be thanking you. For giving me a chance, accepting me, and allowing me the time to prove to you how sorry I am for my previous actions and wanting to be my family. So, grandson, Thank you." The hand on his shoulder squeezed, and Harry figured that was almost as good as a hug.

A second passed where the room fell silent, as no one seemed to know what to do or say now before Barty took the chance to speak, "Sorry to interrupt my Lord, Little Lord, but we really must be going now."

The hand on his shoulder disappeared as the Dark Lord stepped away, pulling Lucius with him. They moved just far enough away to whisper and not be heard without placing a silencing spell around them.

"If they start kissing, I'm running for it and leaving you to fend for yourself," Draco whispered in his ear, causing him to burst out laughing. His grandfather, Lucius, and Barty all looked at him. He blushed, then grabbed Draco's hand and dragged him out of the room.

Charlie

He was nauseous and really wished he could blame it on something he ate or a poorly brewed potion. Instead, it was because his baby sister was standing on a stage in front of hundreds of people, telling them how much she had looked up to and adored Harry Potter and how close they had been and their dreams of the future. A future without war, bigotry, or the dark evil magics that threatened the ones they cared about. She'd been going on and on about it for close to 8 minutes, he'd counted, and he wasn't sure how much more he could take. Looking to his left, he noticed Bill didn't look much better. If it wouldn't have looked so improper, he would have grabbed his brother and left.

But he couldn't. It didn't matter that this was all a hoax. The people here didn't know that, well, most of them, and to leave a hero's memorial early was seen as an insult, not just to the wizard or witch themself but to the cause they had been fighting for. He couldn't risk it, not with the number of influential people here. It could cost him more than his reputation.

"If you keep glaring like that, people might think you hated Harrykins." He jumped, barely containing a yelp. Bill wasn't any better as he drew his wand before turning to glare at their younger brother.

George just grinned at them, "Jumpy much?"

"He asks the Cursebreaker and Dragon tamer," Bill muttered before reholstering his wand and turning back to fast the stage.

"Shouldn't you be paying attention?" he muttered before following his older brother's lead. He felt more than saw George step closer to their backs, standing between them but still slightly behind them.

"Why I've heard her practice this speech twenty times in the last few days." there was a pause, "besides," the word was drawn out so long Charlie was sure Bill was about to snap at their brother, which was probably the point. "I have better things to do." He couldn't help but look over his shoulder at George, "Like what?"

"Asking if either of you want to disappear to better places?" It didn't take more than a second for him to understand what his brother was saying, his mouth dropped open, and he looked up at Bill, who had turned to look at their brother with a bewildered look on his face.

George chuckled before pointing back to the stage. Charlie turned to face the front, trying not to act like his little brother hadn't just invited him, them, to the Dark Lord's hideout? Death Eater's headquarters? Whatever the hell they were calling it.

"What are the rules?" Bill asked because, yeah, he was the more practical of the two of them.

"Nothing ridiculous," George pouted? from behind them, and Charlie got the impression his brothers had already tried pranking Death Eaters. While part of him was terrified that they would be dumb enough to do that, he was also proud of their courage. "You can't tell anyone, don't attack anyone, use your manners (Charlie could actually hear the eye roll with that one), and no spilling secrets you come across or learn."

"Why do I get the feeling we are getting a different list than you did?" he couldn't help but ask. George and Bill both snorted, "because you did." George said with a chuckle that was cut off quickly when a witch close by turned to glare at them.

"Whoops," George whispered.

"What do we do?" Bill asked.

Remus

He hadn't wanted to come, this whole thing was beyond fucked up, and he had already had two calming draughts shoved down his throat to keep him from ripping apart Albus Dumbledore, but Sirius had wanted to know how people reacted. Despite the mutts usually playfulness and goofing off, he sometimes had good ideas, and scooting out this many people at once to see what they would do was smart. He knew most would be afraid. But they needed to know just how afraid.

Were they going to go running for the hills? Abandon their homes for distant shores? Or were they going to chase after Dumbledore as the man wanted? What of those who weren't afraid, those who seemed excited or eager for change or even violence? Or worse yet, the ones that had already picked a side, the ones that stayed too close to the Headmaster or away from him.

Remus knew that the same people he'd thought of as friends or allies months ago weren't the same as those he would name today. He was still having a hard time rationalizing it all. Sirius was as well. But they had both decided that no matter what, they would stand with and protect Harry. He was their best friend's son, their godchild, or in Siruis's words, their pup. Neither of them would abandon him, not even if he stood at the side of the man who had taken Lily and James from them.

It had been hard at first, not the standing by Harry part, but the knowledge that everything he'd known to be true and right, had been wrong. That Dumbledore had lied and betrayed them. The man who was supposed to protect and look after Harry had set him up to die instead. And that the Dark Lord was Lily's father and that he wanted to teach and protect Harry. It was like the two most powerful people in the wizarding world had changed places overnight, and the rest of them were left trying to what the hell had happened.

"You okay?" One of the twins asked as he appeared at Remus's side. He almost nodded but didn't feel like lying, "just thinking," he replied. He wasn't sure the younger man believed him, but thankfully the redhead let it go. They stood there in silence for a while, listening to Ginny Weasley talk, not that Remus cared much for her words. He spent most of her speech looking around and watching the people around him. Strangely they were less afraid than he expected.

"Wanna see how red Dumbledore can get?" Fred, his scent gave him away, whispered into his ear, causing him to jump a little. How the hell had the man gotten that close without Mooney reacting?

"Red?" he asked because that seemed odd. The younger man laughed, "His Darkness has a plan." A part of him wanted to sigh. He'd gotten to know the twins well enough to know that if either of one of them was this excited, then whatever plan The Dark Lord had come up with was going to be one more of mischief than violence.

He was about to ask a question about it when a man toward the back of the crowd shouted," where's the body?" followed quickly by many "yeahs". Poor Ginny didn't seem to know what to do, so she looked over at the Headmaster for help. The old man whispered in her ear, and a second later, she went on with her speech, ignoring the man's shout.

Only a handful of words later, someone else shouted, "How'd he die?" it came from closer to the stage this time. When Ginny tried to ignore him like the first man, more shouts came from the crowd. Most demanded to see a body, several asking about how he had died, but there were others that demanded evidence or proof. Eventually, the yells and demands were too much for the young girl, who turned and ran to her mother, crying as her mother held her close, glaring at the crowd.

Any other time, Remus might have been upset or angry about how the people were treating a child, but he was too thrilled at just how red Dumbledore's face was turning as more and more demanded answers.

"And now we leave." The twin at his side said. Before he could even understand the words, He felt the telling signs of apparation, and the world swarmed around him.

Sirius

He regretted letting Remus talk him out of changing into Padfoot and going to the memorial. He was alone in this damned house, just waiting, and it was going to drive him mad. Okay, so maybe pacing the kitchen like an idiot was his own doing, but he'd tried laying in bed, reading, cursing out his mother's portrait, and even cooking, but nothing helped soothe the anxiety flooding him. Pacing at least seemed to burn off some of the energy.

"You really are helpless." a cold snide voice mocked from behind him. He jumped and turned around to glare at Severus, who had somehow not only snuck up on him but was leaning against the doorway looking far too chipper.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded, "you're supposed to be-" he cut himself off. He was pretty sure the house was empty except for the two of them, but he wasn't going to risk it. One of the potion master's eyes went up, and it was clear the man was amused as he waited to see how he finished his sentence.

"-at the memorial." he chose, even though they both knew that neither Dumbledore nor Voldemort had wanted the man there.

"Pathetic," the man muttered before pushing himself away from the wall and walking toward him.

"Well, I guess I could go to the memorial, not that I have any desire to do so, or I could do as my Lord and his grandson have demanded and kidnap a certain mutt?"

Kidnap a certain mutt, the words were a little mean, but still, Sirius felt about to explode out of his skin as the implication hit. "Do I need anything?" he asked, already summoning his coat. He didn't think he did; hell, he didn't really care if he did. He just wanted the man to take him to Harry.

He was a little surprised when Severus seemed to fight a smile before shaking his head and stating that "everything has been taken care of." Then, the man turned and headed for the front door. Knowing that they couldn't apperate out from the wards, Sirius raced after him. His heart was pounding in his chest as he thought over and over again about how he would finally get to see his godson again.