Title: Angelus Fortuna

Author: Crimson Rosary

Summary: After watching the near-death experience of his godfather, Harry finally decides that Dumbledore doesn't really have the power he claims to have. In order to protect himself, his family and his friends, Harry chooses to side with Voldemort. But what does the Dark Lord have to say to that?

Pairing: LVHP

Rating: M

Manipulative!Dumbledore, Ron/Hermione/Ginny/Certain Weasley Bashing! Alive!Sirius, Good!Voldemort, Characters will be a bit OOC.

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from Harry Potter; all those belong to J.K. Rowling.

'Thoughts'

{Parseltongue}

[Telepathy]

Chapter 12

~ Union ~

Hermione stared at Harry with a pensieve frown on her face. And Harry knew; he could see it from the corner of his eye. She had had that look on her face ever since Tom had proposed to him, and he was sick of it.

"If you have something to say, just say it!" He snapped. Fred, George, Neville and Luna turned to look at the commotion; the former two's eyes narrowed in suspicion, the latter two's eyes watched with curiosity.

Hermione licked her lips, "Harry," She said haltingly, "Don't you think you're moving a little too fast?"

Harry gritted his teeth, forcing the words from his mouth. "What do you mean?"

"You've known Tom all your life, as the person who you've needed to defeat. You were thrust into situations where it was life or death. Don't you think you're jumping into marriage a little too quickly?"

"You don't know anything!" Harry spat. He thought Hermione was happy for him! She even swore to support him! And now she was trying to take his happiness away all because of what she thought was right and wrong?

"You proclaimed that you love him, Harry!" Hermione insisted, trying to get her friend to understand. "Doesn't that sound kind of like Ginny whenever she gushes about you? She's got this whole idea about the Boy-Who-Lived in her head becoming her knight in shining armor! Don't you think you're mirroring her reactions?"

"I am nothing like that wench!" Harry hissed, his eyes glowing deadly with the power of his magic. "I'm not after Tom's wealth. I'm not even after his status. You don't know what you're talking about."

"Ok, Harry. You're right." Hermione replied slowly, taking a different route. It only took a few words to incite Harry's temper and when Harry was angry, it was hard for him to see things a little differently. "I don't know anything," She admitted. "However, I know that you're in love with Tom. You're pregnant with his child; you're engaged to the Dark Lord; you're about to marry him in a few days' time. But… are you sure you're not in love with him because he took you in? Healed you from the Dursleys' abuse?"

Harry opened his mouth, but snapped it shut. In a way, he understood the worries Hermione felt. It was indeed fast, when he thought about it logically. He'd only seen Tom's side – the good side – for a couple of weeks, soon to be two months. Though, the most important factor was the fact that the things he'd heard about Tom came from the man whom had betrayed him and had manipulated his entire life.

Dumbledore had stolen from Harry; picked out his path, his future; taken away all his decisions. It was as if Harry were just a pawn in the little game Dumbledore called, power. He'd sent Sirius to Azkaban, knowing the animagus was Harry's godfather. He hadn't revealed to the Ministry that he was the Potters' secret keeper caster, Pettigrew the secret keeper. He'd thrown every situation at Harry since the start of his first year.

"You've only known the real Tom for close to two months." Hermione stated in the stunted silence. "He's been trying to kill you ever since you were a baby. Tom's tried multiple times throughout our years at Hogwarts. Don't you think you should take the time to know Tom better? When he isn't busy with his meetings and such? He didn't even say he loves you."

Harry pursed his lips. Hermione didn't know of Tom's past. Of course, Harry didn't push his lover to speak those three words. Tom had felt no love in his life, only admiration, lust, acknowledgement, but not love. Not until Harry had literally intruded upon him a few weeks ago. And to have his whole life changed in these last couple of weeks, Merlin, even Harry was quite surprised to blurt those words out in public!

Those three words should've been said in private first before Harry could announce it in front of his friends.

"Hermione, I know this is hard for you to take in, but Tom and I are deeply in love with each other." He said with certainty. "You haven't seen him the whole time I've been here. You've only been here a few weeks after I arrived. Sure, it's only been about two months, but you should see the things I've been doing! Tom's spent time with me even when he's busy with meetings. I'm against taking sides in the war, and Tom's fine with it! However, I have already given the werewolves a home, Bellatrix is in the dungeons, Pettigrew is dead, Sirius is free, Remus finally embraces Moony, I'm actually friends with Lucius, Severus, Fenrir and some of the Death Eaters. Not to mention, Neville is finally at peace with his parents' torture. He finally has a way to get his parents back! There are so many good changes ever since I entered Tom's life. I just wish you'd see things my way."

Hermione's eyes watered with tears, "Oh, Harry! I do! I do see all the good you've done! I'm just afraid that you're jumping into rash decisions because of how you feel!"

Harry laughed. Good old Hermione Granger. "Isn't that the whole point of a relationship? You enter one because of your feelings and as they develop, so does the relationship between you and your partner. I'm completely at ease with how I feel. Sure, it's a bit sudden, but I've never felt as happy as I do now. Tom doesn't have to tell me he loves me because his actions do all the talking for him. When he's ready to tell me, he'll tell me and I'm sure that moment will forever be imprinted in my mind. Now, all I have to do is get through two more years and Dumbledore can no longer hold me in his clutches!"

"You're certain this is what you want?" She asked.

The brilliant, breathtaking smile on Harry's face said it all.

…..

"Lucius," Tom hissed, "Is everything ready?"

"Yes, my lord." The blond confirmed. "All that's left is to have the ceremony and the party afterwards."

"And the guests?" Tom asked, turning his head to Nagini.

Lucius took a look at the snake wrapped about his Lord. They were having a conversation all on their own, yet he dutifully answered, "All of which whom are loyal to you, your cause, and can be trusted with your secret."

Tom nodded his head, "Very well. Everything must be perfect for Harry. I will see you tomorrow."

"By your leave, my lord."

…..

Though Tom refused to act like a plebian, he was quite anxious as he waited for Harry at the altar. He made a move to adjust his robes, but paused when he knew such an action would cause wrinkles and Narcissa would throw a hissy fit. Even the most minuscule crease and Narcissa swore there would be hell to pay.

Looking up, Tom saw that their ceremonial hall was starting to fill up rather quickly. He had no need to greet the guests when Lucius and Severus did that for him. And a majority of the invitees were Death Eaters most loyal to him – such as all members of his Inner Circle, bar Bellatrix, of course. Sirius and Remus were most likely with Harry, as was their duty as godfather to godson, which left Fenrir, his oldest friend, to stand by Tom as the guests filtered into the ceremonial halls.

With Narcissa's suggestions, and Tom used that term loosely, the Dark Lord allowed the woman – never scared into permitting – to plan their wedding because they had broken the traditional courting procedure. They had nearly been flayed alive – Tom more so because he was the elder of the two. Harry had taken to hanging with his group, leaving Tom with Narcissa until Lucius had, thankfully, pulled the former away with a scheduled meeting.

The ceremonial halls were decorated in Autumn colors with curtains pulled apart from the windows in translucent reds tinged with shades of oranges and ceiling decorations in pale yellows, the aisle runner in earth brown, and the decorating fabrics that were wrapped around supporting pillars and draped over guest seats, in forest greens. However, there were splashes of silver decorated in the high arches of the manor's windows, the entrances and the smattering of handcrafted leaves that were thrown in a haphazard, but tasteful fashion on the ground. The grooms' outfits, as well as their entourages' attire, were specially picked out not only to match their skin tones, but also to match the wedding's Autumn theme and Narcissa couldn't be happier with her job as their wedding planner.

"Nervous, are we?"

Tom only sent a fierce glare at the alpha. The werewolf had the audacity to grin at him.

"That wasn't scary at all, Tom. You must be losing your touch."

"You'll be losing something if you keep this up," The Dark Lord promised, but Fenrir didn't feel any heat from his words, slapping a hand onto his old friend's shoulder.

"Ah, don't worry too much, Tom. You just need to get through this and you'll be bonded with Harry."

"And if Harry changes his mind?" He asked, mincing through his words.

"Oh, I doubt that would happen." Fenrir smoothed down any crinkles in his robe. He wasn't scared of Narcissa. A cold shiver ran down his spine and he automatically placed his hand by his side – not one bit. Shaking his head, he continued on. "I think you've shown him more care in the last two months than he has received in his entire life."

After a few moments, Tom had a few words with the Officiator and stepped to the side, smoothing out the wrinkles in his robe before he gave his consent. "Please take your seats; the bonding ceremony is about to begin," The Officiator announced.

The sound died down and within moments, the doors to the halls slowly opened, revealing Harry.

The teenager was standing there, a hand on Sirius's arm as godfather led godson down the aisle. Harry was so nervous, Tom could tell. Yet, the gleam in his eyes and his flushed cheeks portrayed the excitement contained within him.

Harry was gorgeous; rightfully so.

His messy mop was actually tamed for once – flowing silkily with a natural wave, nary a bang hiding his famed lightning bolt scar. Though his hair was nearly past his shoulder blades, Tom assumed Harry had Narcissa, or more like Narcissa had Harry, lengthen his hair until she could plait it and tie it up with the Potter family clasp and drape the small braid over his left shoulder. The remaining untied hair was pulled behind his ear, framing his round face. Tom hoped Harry would keep it that long.

He wore a white, round collared robe, lined with a deep olive green trim, and embroidered with gold intertwining vines and leaves. When Harry had his arms at his side, the long flowing bell sleeves reached his knees, cementing the autumn theme Narcissa had planned. His glasses were removed, 'And hopefully burned', Tom thought – allowing a clear view of Avada green almond shaped eyes, shining with brilliance. Narcissa had taken him out to magically correct his vision – something Harry, and secretly everyone else, was extremely thankful for. But the most important thing was Harry's accessory – the engagement ring Tom had given to him upon their abrupt proposal.

It wouldn't do to have the heir of Slytherin a bastard child, yet Tom couldn't help but think that it wouldn't matter, seeing as how their relationship was quite stable and secure. Even if they weren't to bond that very day, Tom was sure that Harry would still love their child, regardless of being an heir or not.

Harry's appearance at his side drew Tom from his thoughts. He accepted his betrothed's hand in his own – ignoring Sirius's frown, when the animagus's whispered promises of threatening him bodily harm should he make Harry cry, had thoroughly gone unheard.

Sirius grumbled until he made his way towards his seat. He only stopped his silent complaints to watch the proceedings when Remus patted his hand with a watery smile. Neville had taken his position as Best Man for Harry's bonding. Fred and George followed behind him and Hermione and Luna after the twins. On Tom's side was Fenrir, followed by Lucius, Sirius, Rabastan and Rodolphus. Narcissa sat on Tom's side, nodding her head every once in a while in approval of her decorating.

Grey eyes returned to his godson's form and, like Remus's, began to water when Sirius saw how truly happy his pup was. It might be because of the pregnancy, as Sirius had seen such a glow when Lily was pregnant with Harry, but somehow, it was completely different. Harry was glowing brightly and it was because he exuded happiness due to his soon-to-be married status with Tom.

Tom delighted in the way Harry's eyes roamed his body. Tom's attire was an antithesis of Harry's apparel. The Dark Lord wore dark robes with silver trim embroideries of snakes that mimicked the growth of bare branches. His wine red mandarin collar emphasized his strong jawline, which went well with his red tinged eyes and the similarly colored sleeve cuffs. It wasn't hard to find robes that portrayed Tom's House; all he needed were Acromantula silk robes with a snake design. It was simple, but elegant. His hair was as neat as usual; his eyes were gleaming with excitement and awe and the betrothal ring that Harry had picked out for Tom was sitting neatly on his finger, sparkling in the light.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here today to join these men in something much more than marriage – an unbreakable bond that transcends throughout time," The Officiator spoke, the acoustics in the hall reverberating his voice. "Lord Tom Marvolo Riddle and Lord Harry James Potter. Should anyone have any reason why these two shouldn't be bound in holy matrimony, speak now or forever hold your peace."

"I object!" A loud voice shouted.

A loud rush of murmurs followed as everyone turned in their seats to pinpoint the foolish person. Many were angry for their Lord at having his ceremony interrupted, but none more so than the people standing at the very front.

Lucius's face paled beyond the whitest of sheets, as silver eyes honed in on his arrogant and foolish son, standing up amongst the sitting crowd. His silver eyes darted towards his equally pale wife, who was ineffectively motioning to her son's defiant body to sit back into his seat, and back up to his lord, seeing both Harry and Tom slowly turn their heads in Draco's direction.

"As Lucius's son, I will not punish you for now. However, if you do not sit down, I will attack without regret." Tom spoke. His eyes were cold, and his tone was glacial.

"Tom?" Harry looked up at his lover with a worried expression. Tom spared a soft glance at his fiancé, rubbing circles across the back of his hand before he returned his angry gaze at the foolish teenager standing a few yards away.

Harry followed his gaze. He knew Draco hated him, and he knew Draco believed himself to be Lord Consort one day, but was the teenager really that foolish to disturb a ceremony right in the midst of it?

"Draco! Sit down!" Lucius ordered, his low voice carrying across the hall.

"The Dark Lord does not deserve to besmirch his line with the likes of a jumped up, half breed like Potter!" Draco sneered.

Harry frowned. Apparently he was.

"Draco – "

"Crucio!"

To Tom's displeasure, the blond actually dodged the curse and whipped out his own wand, just as the doors to the hall burst open, followed by several spells headed in the engaged couple's direction.

Harry was pulled away and guarded by his friends. Tom and his friends had their wands whipped out and already firing spells at the entrance. Their 'guests', made up of a majority of Death Eaters, were instantly at their feet, throwing spells in the attacker's direction. The rest of the guests that were comprised of Dark families, were on guard, though some had fled just in case the situation escalated even further.

Feeling his wards ripple, Tom immediately searched for Harry, their eyes meeting in a fierce passion. The fire grew when Tom saw one of Harry's hand placed above his abdomen protecting the fetus, as the other had his wand at the ready.

"Aurors!" One Death Eater cried out.

With that, Tom's followers whipped out their wands and focused their attack on the intruders. By that time, most of the members of Dark families had apparated away when they could. Tom met Harry near the side entrance, their friends standing around them in a protective circle.

"Tom, please, no! Tom!" Harry cried fitfully. His wedding day was ruined! And though it had come up unexpectedly, this wasn't how Harry pictured his wedding to be. He had used a stunner just a moment ago, but felt his strength sapped away.

"Harry, Harry, listen to me. You have to leave." Pulling out a box, Tom kissed it briefly before handing it over to his lover. "Take this. You have to leave before they see you. It is not safe for you or the baby."

"Harry, we have to leave!" Hermione cried out, hands gripping the Gryffindor's sleeve. "We can't be here! Come on!"

Harry shook her off, heading shaking and eyes wide as if he couldn't believe the event happening before him was actually occurring. "Tom, no! I can fight too!"

"Harry! Listen to me!" The Dark Lord shook his lover's shoulders. "You must leave. If the Aurors find you here, our plans will go to ruins. Dumbledore is already keeping an eye out for you! If the Aurors bring you to the Ministry, he'll be able to get to you."

"No, I won't! I'll stay with you!"

"Harry James Potter!" Hermione shrieked, and she swung her hand, connecting with her best friend's cheek in a loud SLAP. Harry turned shocked eyes at Hermione. "Control yourself! You can't fight while you're pregnant! The child is taking up your magic to grow! Your magical core is unstable right now! Don't make yourself a liability!"

Harry turned to look at his Tom, his bottom lip wobbling in protest. Harry's tears tore at his heart, and the more Tom wiped them away, the more the tears returned, overflowing from his lover's beautiful green eyes.

"Please, Harry. If not for me or yourself, at least for our child."

"You'll come after us soon?"

"I promise," Tom kissed Harry's forehead, even as chaos rained around them. "I'll be right behind you."

"You have to swear!" Harry cried hysterically. "Please, come find us at Merlin's castle."

"Of course, of course." Tom said distractedly. The noises were starting to reverberate through the halls – the Ministry's Aurors were beginning to enter Riddle Manor. "Hurry, we'll protect your escape."

"Swear it, Tom!"

"I so swear, Harry. This I do. I will come after you."

After a kiss filled with their panic, passion, anxiousness and fear all mixed into one, they eyes shared a last glance before Harry was gripped by his friends and portkeyed away.

"How did they find the Manor?" Tom hissed as he joined the battle.

"My Lord, the guards for Bellatrix's cell were found under the Imperius curse and ordered to alert the Ministry of our whereabouts."

"And the traitor?" Tom asked, even as he caught the bone-breaking spell at the tip of his wand and returned it to the sender.

"It was not Draco, my Lord." Lucius assured, though he cursed his son for his foolishness. "However, we have yet to find the traitor among our midst."

"When I find out who did this, they will not have time to beg for mercy," Tom hissed, wand slashing through the air and swiftly beheading the Aurors that dared to disrupt his wedding day.

"Kill them all!" The Dark Lord roared, and the Death Eaters echoed his enthusiasm, spells firing off more frequently and at a higher potency when fueled with their Lord's anger at their intrusive guests.

…..

"No, no," Harry gasped, ending up on his knees upon them landing. His empty stomach lurched and he expelled stomach bile, feeling it burn as it ran up his esophagus. "This can't be happening."

"Remus, he's going into shock!" Hermione shouted, trying fruitlessly to get her friend to not hyperventilate.

Luna stood by the teen, rubbing his shoulders to calm him, yet was unable to pull him from his distress.

"Woody!" The werewolf barked, "Take Harry to the infirmary and give him a Calming Draught. If he doesn't take it, spell it into him and give him a Dreamless Sleep after. Hurry!"

The house elf did as he was told and within a few moments, the rest of their part entered the infirmary at Merlin's Castle.

There was a deafening silence in the room – even when there were other werewolves around the castle.

"How could this have happened?" Sirius moaned, hands rubbing up and down his face in disbelief. "The pup was so happy about today."

"We should go back," Remus murmured, biting his lip. "They might need our help."

"Harry needs our help right now!" Sirius shouted. "Fenrir can defend himself!"

"What's wrong with you, Sirius?! I am not speaking of Fenrir!" Remus snapped. "Not everything in my life is going to revolve around Fenrir!"

"Sirius! Remus! This is not the time for the both of you to be fighting!" Neville ordered. "Remus – Fenrir will be fine. He's a strong wizard and an even better alpha. Sirius – that was uncalled for! Remus is worried about his lover, and Harry is too! So the both of you better bulk up because Harry needs us now! Here! WITH HIM!"

The duo looked at the usually shy Gryffindor, with wide eyes.

"Neville, my man –"

"That was a brilliant speech," The twins smirked, easily uplifting the dreary atmosphere.

With a curt nod, Neville hurried on up towards the infirmary, the rest of their party following after him.

…..

Tom sat on his throne, eyeing the traitor that dared to reveal his manor's location to the Ministry – not to mention the Order of the Phoenix. Though the Order had arrived, the members had escaped once injured, depriving the Death Eaters of capturing Dumbledore's self-proclaimed vigilantes.

One white knuckled hand gripped the armrest of his throne as the other was fisted under his chin, providing a perch for his head. His matrimonial robes, though black, was distinctly dyed a blood red and the smell of death lingered in the air.

A majority of the lower level Death Eaters was tasked with cleansing the manor, as rubble, dust, and blood were splattered all over the grounds. A squad was sent to check on Bellatrix in the Dungeons – no one wanted the insane woman to have escaped during this situation, while another was tasked to put the Malfoy heir under house arrest. The corpses of the Aurors were removed from the property, leaving Riddle Manor devoid of enemies.

The Death Eaters of the Inner Circle could feel the malice pouring from their lord. They didn't dare make a sound. They understood how important today was yet this traitor had the guts to pull off such a stunt.

"Whom do you work for?"

"D-D-Dumbledore and the M-Ministry." The traitor, Lewis Penman, struggled against the Veritaserum, but it was impossible to go against the potion. Not to mention, the man was struggling to answer through a broken jaw.

"What was your objective?"

"To p-provide information f-from the i-inside."

"Where do your loyalties lie?"

"W-With the O-Order of the Phoenix."

Tom's eyes narrowed. The silence was palpable, and with it, Tom's anger grew to epic proportions.

{Legilimens!} He hissed.

Penman screamed and screamed, feeling the Dark Lord tear down his mental defenses and render him vulnerable to all mental attacks. All his memories came forth in the process, and his eyes watered, knowing that his relatives, his family, would become the Dark Lord's targets.

The Death Eaters watched impassively as the prisoner was tortured. It was a relatively easy punishment, they believed. The Dark Lord could have put Penman under the Cruciatus, yet this was more befitting of someone that dared to enter their ranks to hurt their Lord and his Consort.

Information for information, after all.

Soon, all that could be heard from Penman was gurgling. The traitor's mind was completely dismantled. He was nothing more than a soul inhabiting a mindless corpse.

"Rowle, Yaxley."

"Yes, my Lord."

"I have a mission for the two of you."

"Of course, my Lord."

"Rookwood, you will assist them in this endeavor. Gibbon, remove the prisoner. Be sure to make his entrance… a grand one."

"Of course, my Lord."

"Lucius,"

Said wizard stepped forward and bowed, "My Lord."

"Bring me, your son."

Lucius bowed once more and stepped out of the throne room. The rest of the Inner Circle stood waiting.

Draco Malfoy walked in with an air of haughtiness. Tom nearly growled in anger. The bastard child smirked when he saw he was graced with the presence of his lord and his lord's inner circle – perceivably noting that Harry was not around. The brat probably thought he was being rewarded for ruining Tom and Harry's big day.

"My Lord," Draco greeted with a salacious smile as he bowed.

"Draco, do you understand why you've been summoned?"

"Of course, my Lord." Draco nodded eagerly. "I'm here to serve you at your side. Now that Potter had no doubt been removed, his lack of presence has cleared your mind. His blood traitor friends have also ceased to stay, and with the arrival of the Aurors, I'm sure their deaths are imminent. They're probably being force fed Veritaserum as they sing of our location and your plans for the future."

Lucius looked on horrified as his heir spouted nonsense. Who did Draco follow after?! Narcissa was no better as only her pureblood training kept her from producing an unsightly scene. Her lips were thin with anger, but her eyes were distraught as they flickered towards their Lord, wondering if her son would live to see another day.

"Draco –"

"Yes, my Lord?" He asked, chest puffed up and ready to accept his reward.

"Fenrir, take young Draco and place him in the Dungeons – far away from Bellatrix."

"Of course."

Draco's eyes bulged, "What?! Why?! Aren't I going to be your Consort now that Potter's been removed from the picture?! My Lord! What has he done with you?!"

{Silence!} Tom roared, drawing Nagini's attention. The large boa constrictor slithered across the floor and wrapped herself around her master's source of anger.

Draco gulped, eyes tracking the fourteen stone reptile as it spiraled up and up his body, finally pulling its head away to look him in the eyes. The blond closed his eyes as Nagini's tongue flickered out, tasting the nervous air around him. She settled her head on top of his, stretching her jaw wide open in a yawn.

The Inner Circle withheld their grimaces, seeing their master's familiar jaw open up at least ten inches wide before violently clamping shut in a show of strength.

"Fenrir," Tom motioned.

The werewolf moved to follow his old friend's orders, dragging the snake wrapped teenager across the floor. Nagini did not deign to be dragged like a mop, and so she unwrapped her body and coiled it on the blond's stomach, her large head staring straight at Draco's, even as her weight crushed the boy's abdomen.

"My Lord?" Lucius asked, once the two had left the room.

"His punishment will be dealt with later," Tom announced. "I have better things to worry about now."

…..

"Nagini," Fenrir said.

The boa immediately slithered off Draco's stomach and waited at the entrance of the cell, watching with slit eyes as the werewolf threw the blond into the empty cell.

The door slammed shut just as Draco scrambled towards it. His hands wrapped around the cool steel bars and he looked out with fury.

"What is the meaning of this?!" He shouted. "I am Heir Draco Lucius Malfoy! You can't do this me! You are just a half breed! When my Lord changes his mind, I can assure you that as his Lord Consort, you'll be the first to go!"

"Quiet before I turn you into a half breed." Fenrir cackled, his mouth wide open and teeth showing sharp points. His hands flexed the sharp nails before Draco watched as the werewolf licked his tongue across the span of flesh on his fingers.

"All you arrogant purebloods ever do is say, 'Pureblood, pureblood, pureblood.' If you didn't have your precious pure blood, you'd never amount to anything, huh?" Fenrir grinned viciously, "I've never turned an arrogant pureblood into a werewolf before…" Then a flash of amber eyes met silver ones, "But there's always a first time for everything."

Draco whimpered, cowering away as he ran towards the back of his cell. Even though there was about five feet of distance, the teenager felt there wasn't enough when he had no form of protection from the werewolf behind those bars.

Nagini hissed, body darting forward before stopping a feet away from Draco's feet, mouth clamped on the unlucky rodent that caught her eyes. Draco watched with bated breath as the rat struggled with all its might; it was all for naught as the poison ravaged its tiny body. Draco's eyes caught the moment the life drained from its body before Nagini swallowed its body whole. Silver eyes tracked the rodent's passage through the boa's body until it disappeared from view.

Nagini glided through the gap between Draco's bended knees and the cold cell floor, as if reminding the boy how dangerous she really was. She slowly returned to the cell's entrance and slithered up Fenrir's body, choosing to lie across his shoulders. She snapped her jaw in Draco's direction and hissed to Fenrir once more.

"All right, all right, my Lady." Fenrir conceded. "Back to your master we go."

Draco inched back towards the cell door, silver eyes watching as the werewolf and snake made their way up the stairs. Once the loud slam of the dungeon doors reached his ears, he sunk down on his knees, feeling the biting cold of the dungeons surround his thinly clothed body.

…..

"My Lord," Everyone bowed as Tom walked through Merlin's Castle. It wasn't that he was rushing, no – perish the thought. The Dark Lord just happened to take long strides and speed walk through the estate in order to reach his fiancé in a short amount of time. It was probably the first time Tom ever cursed the wealthy – having such a large property meant he was wasting time in getting to Harry. Nevertheless, he soon arrived, seeing the entourage hovering over his unconscious fiancé.

"How is Harry?"

"He went through shock upon arriving," Hermione informed him. "We gave him a Calming Draught and Dreamless Sleep. He should wake in the morning."

Tom ran a hand through Harry's hair. His locks were now in disarray, but there were no injuries, so that was okay. He reached out towards the little core forming in his lover's abdomen, noting that while Harry was stressed, so too was their child. He forced himself to calm, and it wasn't too hard now that he was with his family. His magic easily soothed the distress in both his lover and fetus, seeing the wrinkled brows on Harry's forehead smooth out as he fell into gentle slumber.

"Did you find out who it was that ruined my cub's big day?" Remus growled from within Fenrir's arms.

"It was Lewis Penman."

Sirius frowned, "Penman?" Both he and Remus shared a look, "Never heard of him."

"He was a secret member of Dumbledore's Order," Tom explained. "No one but Dumbledore knew of his allegiance. He also worked in the Ministry, but he was not an Auror. Although, he was high up enough to gather information for Dumbledore."

"Is he dead?" Sirius asked.

"Death is too easy a punishment for him." Tom reasoned.

"Then how did you punish him?" Sirius growled.

"He was put under Veritaserum, then put under Legilimens," Tom answered.

"You broke him," Hermione concluded.

"I did, yes."

The infirmary was soon silent at his confession.

….

Harry moaned, waking up to a dark room. Shooting up, his head looked around before seeing Tom staring at him.

"How are you feeling?"

"Are you all right? Did anyone get hurt?" Harry cut in, hands roaming searchingly across Tom's body.

"I'm fine, we're fine. Everything is all right."

Harry sighed and calmed, feeling his heart beat return to its normal pace. "Who was it?"

"Lewis Penman – it's all right if you've never heard of him. He isn't a major player in our war, but he's been lured by Dumbledore to do his bidding."

"I don't care," Harry said vehemently, "He ruined our wedding. Now we can't bond until the holidays."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Tom smiled.

"What?"

There was a bit of shuffling, but Tom revealed the small box he'd handed to Harry before his younger lover departed.

"Harry, my beloved Consort, would you do the honor of bonding with me?"

Green eyes darted over Tom's face before landing on the wand that was lifted in the air before them. There was a bit of curiosity towards the contents of the box, but Harry pushed that away in favor of paying attention to his lover.

"I do, Tom." Harry smiled, "And you? Would you do the honor of bonding with me?"

"Of course. Forever." Tom replied.

A bright flash of light and a strip of light encircled both their wrists, illuminating in bright gold before the glow died and a gold band was left behind. In addition to the light show, beside their engagement ring was a bonding ring. It was simple, but elegant – a broad platinum band with a golden Celtic Knot engraved around the circumference. Harry could feel the strength of their bonding, not to mention the little bit of Tom's magic that was given to him upon their spontaneous bonding. Harry looked towards Tom's ring finger, and saw that he too was wearing the same ring, if not a more masculine version. The Celtic Knot on Tom's ring also pulsed with a bit of Harry's magic.

"It isn't as extravagant as it was supposed to be," Tom stated, "But I suppose nothing should be more important than our feelings towards our bonding."

Harry nodded his head in agreement, "The whole thing was too fancy for my taste." He enjoyed the robes and, of course, the guests that were there. But, Harry was never more certain that the entire point of a bonding ceremony, or even a wedding in fact, was for the engaged to be wedded or bonded together.

"Here's my wedding present for you," Tom murmured after a bit of rustling, referring to the box he'd handed to his young lover before Harry had departed from Riddle Manor.

With a suspicious look in his eyes, Harry ripped open the lid and saw the picture sitting in the wooden frame.

"Oh, Tom…" Harry's eyes watered. "Where did you get this?"

Tom cleared his throat, "I paid a little… visit, to those muggles. I sifted through their memory, and found the one where you came home from the muggle school with a drawing. I remember you telling them–"

"It was a class activity," Harry continued, fingers lovingly caressing the picture through the glass screen. "The teacher asked us to draw what we wished for – dreamed for, and I drew a big happy family…"

Tom nodded his head, "Correct. And, when I saw that they had the audacity to tear your picture to pieces, I knew they had to pay."

Harry smiled softly at him, though his voice chastised his husband, "Didn't I say you should leave them in peace? They still owe me money."

Tom chuckled, "It was a small price to pay when I saw how heartbroken you were, watching them rip your dream apart."

Harry smiled, lying his head on Tom's chest, "Thank you. I love it."

Without a word, Tom wrapped his arms around Harry, both bonded men's hand placed strategically atop Harry's abdomen, and the two laid in bed silently in contentment.

…...

A/N: All right! Another chapter down! Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! Hope your day is filled with love and joy, and warmth and happiness!