Guide: "Speech", Thoughts, ~letters and other written things
Beta: Destiny1195. All remaining errors are my own.
AN: I hope you enjoy this fast update, even if it does not include Harry and Draco.
-~-~- Toujours pur, toujours du sang de Black -~-~-
-~-~-by Stillwatersaredeep-~-~-
-~-~- Chapter 5 -~-~-
Sunday, 3rd August 1997
Where are they? I do not have all day! Lord Volemort thought in annoyance as he waited for the Malfoys to return with their son. Maybe once the Ministry takeover is completed, I should investigate a way to adjust the Mark to make individual calls? he contemplated, the fingers of his right hand impatiently twirling his wand around as he sat on his throne. So much time wasted for such a small gain...I'll just call them all if neither of them shows up anytime soon.
Just as he was about to cast a Sonorus to call whichever Death Eater was closest, Bellatrix entered the room, bowing deeply in front of him. "My Lord," she said. "Draco is not on the grounds. Neither are Narcissa and Lucius."
"Have you considered that they may be searching for him inside the Manor?" he said, speaking as if he were talking to a child.
"I'll immediately get my husband and Rabastan to search for them in the manor," Bella answered, getting the feeling that something was not right.
"No, I do not have all day to play hide-and-seek. Tell me why you called me," he demanded.
"Of course, my Lord," she obeyed. "As you've ordered, we are currently cleaning out the Wizengamot, assigning open seats to worthy families. Someone mentioned what a pity it was that Potter had obtained the Black Lordship just a day before we took over."
"And?" the Dark Lord asked. What did it matter if Potter got a seat in the Wizengamot? He'll not be stupid enough to attend a meeting.
"Toujours pur, toujours du sang the Black," Bellatrix proudly spoke the Black family motto. "And if the Lord Black is not of Black blood… let's just say that we do not need to worry about itty bitty baby Potter anymore."
"Explain!"
"When dearest Sirius named Potter his heir, he must have forgotten about the Black curse. A Lord Black without an ounce of Black blood will not live long. Bartolomeo made sure of it," she informed him, proud that it would be the Black family that killed Potter for their Lord and more than amused that Sirius was responsible for killing his beloved godson. If only he were still here... Oh how I would love to have seen his face, the witch thought.
"You're saying that Potter will die because he's Lord Black?" the Dark Lord asked for clarification.
"He will, my Lord," Bellatrix confirmed joyfully.
"Is there a way to stop it?" he asked. Voldemort was getting angry. How dare the brat go and get himself killed. He would be the one to kill Potter, not a stupid curse!
"There is," Bellatrix answered. "But do not worry, my Lord. I'll make sure that Draco will do his duty and let the curse run its course," she told him, unaware that her feelings about the Black curse were the polar opposite from the Dark Lord's.
"What does it have to do with Draco?" Voldemort asked. He was clearly getting impatient and more than annoyed with the 'good' news Bellatrix was sharing with him.
"You see, the only way for baby Potter to escape the consequences of the curse is to marry a Black, or someone with Black blood. Thus, little Draco is currently his only salvation. Not that I believe Potter is even aware of the curse that is killing him," she said with a laugh.
"Get Draco," he ordered. "And Narcissa," he added as an afterthought. Maybe she could explain the situation to him more clearly. And if not, she would be a good motivational force for Draco to do as he ordered.
If a marriage between Potter and the young Malfoy was the only way to save Potter from the Black curse, he would personally oversee their bonding, just to cast a killing curse at Potter when the 'happy couple' shared their wedding kiss. Or should I allow Potter to experience the wedding night first? Several of my Death Eaters would certainly enjoy the show. And Fenrir wouldn't say 'No' to attending to the young widow's needs after, all the times he's asked to have a go at Lucius' son to punish him for his failures. Where were Bella and the boy?
"My Lord," Bella ran into the room, followed by the Lestrange brothers. "Draco, the coward," she spit out, "has fled. As have Lucius and Cissy. Traitors!"
"And where do you think they have gone to?" Voldemort asked. They must have known what news Bella had for me if they left the moment I arrived.
"They're probably trying to get into contact with Potter to save itty Draco's life." Bellatrix was angry. How dare they bow down to the demands of the curse! A true Black would rather die than to allow such an unworthy person to stay Lord Black.
If his life is on the line too, he will have a great interest in marrying Potter, Tom thought. And here I would've liked to play a bit with Narcissa… "Hmm," he mused, his wand wiggling between his fore and middle finger. "How likely is it that they have already found Potter?" he asked.
"If you could not find him, I doubt that they could do so in less than three days," Bellatrix said. "They must be hiding somewhere, while they try to find Potter in time."
"Bella, write down everything you know about the curse. You have an hour. And write legibly!" with that he dismissed the Lestranges. He needed to think. If I use my cards right, this curse could work in my favour.
-~-~- Toujours pur, toujours du sang de Black -~-~-
Interesting, so very interesting and complex, Voldemortthought, as he read the parchment Bellatrix had compiled for him. If it did not threaten to murder Potter before he could kill the boy himself, he would have praised Bartolomeo for his genius spellwork. But alas..."Crucio!" he yelled out, pointing his wand at Bellatrix. As the witch screamed and withered in agony in front of him, he thought about his next steps. If he had the young Malfoy and could somehow make Potter aware of the curse, he could use Malfoy as bait to lure Potter in.
But how to make Potter believe in the curse? Hmm… He stopped the Cruciatus curse to take a look at the parchment. Ah yes, there should be a mark on the boy. "Only Draco is able to pacify the curse? You could not do so in his stead?" he asked.
"No, my Lord. It can only be an unmarried Black. With my halfblood niece's recent marriage, Draco is the only Black left. He must have the mark."
"And it has to be the 'L'union de la nouvelle lune'?" he asked.
Bella respectfully overlooked the double use of 'the' and the off pronunciation of the name of the French bonding ritual. "Yes. They only have the second of September or the first of October to perform the bond," she said.
"Come here, Bella," he motioned with his hand.
He pressed his wand into her Dark Mark to call his followers. "Take your place in the circle," he ordered as he waited for the other Death Eaters to arrive. He could clearly see the surprise and wonderment in his Death Eaters' eyes when they arrived in Malfoy manor, Lucius' place in the circle noticeably empty.
It would have been too easy if either Malfoy had come when called. "My devoted followers, I have a great announcement to make. On the second of September we will be celebrating a wedding!" he said.
Silence. This was certainly not what they'd been expecting to hear from him. A declaration of war against the Muggles or Wizarding France, yes, but a marriage? Definitely not.
"It will not just be any wedding," he continued.
More than one Death Eater wondered if Bellatrix had finally gotten her deepest desire fulfilled and would soon become the Dark Lord's wife. Or did the Dark Lord intend to marry Narcissa Malfoy? It would explain Lucius' sudden absence from his own home…
Idiots, Voldemort thought as he briefly scanned their thoughts. "No, none other than Harry Potter." Do they really think that I would every marry Potter? He Crucioed the nearest Death Eater that dared to even think such a thing. "And our dear Draco Malfoy will join in a union of holy matrimony," he finished sarcastically. "Regrettably, it seems like one of the grooms has gotten cold feet. As I do not wish for Potter to be left standing at the altar, you have three weeks to find Draco Malfoy and to bring him here. Capture him alive and as unharmed as possible. We do not want to ruin his pretty face so close to his wedding, do we?" he asked rhetorically.
"Parkinson, tell your wife she has a wedding to prepare," he ordered. "Keep it simple though. And do not worry about the entertainment. I'm sure the grooms will provide us with enough to watch," here he smirked, looking at McNair and Dolohov, who laughed in answer. They would certainly enjoy the show. "Snape, Bella, stay behind. The rest of you leave."
The assembled Death Eaters quickly walked out, not wanting to linger and risk a Crucio. The news they'd received was certainly unexpected. Potter and Malfoy marrying? Who would have thought that. And the Dark Lord organizing the event? What must Lucius have done now to earn himself such treatment?
"Severus, my most faithful servant," the Dark Lord spoke when they were finally alone. "You must be wondering what is going on. Bellatrix belatedly informed me today that Potter, as the new Lord Black, is subjected to a curse that will result in his death by October if he does not marry young Draco. I'm sure you understand why I do not wish for our dear Harry to die of a curse if it is in my power to prevent it."
"I completely understand, my Lord," Severus answered.
"I knew that you would. That's why I'm giving you a very important task. I want you to try and find Potter. Or at least find a way to get a message to him. You see, poor Harry is currently unaware of the curse. And while the Prophet could print an article about the curse, I do not want everyone to know about it."
"You say that it has to do with the Black Lordship?" he asked, playing ignorant, careful to remember how much the Dark Lord revealed, lest he gave away that he knew more than he was supposed to.
"Yes."
"Then Andromeda Tonks should be aware of it too?" he asked Bellatrix.
"The traitorous bitch?" she asked. "She should know the basics."
"Then I would suggest using her to inform the Order about it. They should be able to get the word to Potter," Severus said.
"A very good idea, Severus," Voldemort praised.
"A well-worded marriage announcement in the Prophet should do the trick," Severus suggested.
"A splendid idea," the Dark Lord agreed. "Potter and Draco will be delighted to read my public congratulations of their marriage." He quickly copied the parchment Bella had compiled for him. After he erased some facts he did not want Severus to know, he handed the copy to him. "This should allow you to find the right words," he said. "Do you have any ideas where Potter could be?"
"No. As I told you, I expected him to be at the Weasley wedding. And since they changed the secret keeper, I do not know if he is staying at the Order's Headquarters, but it is likely."
"I see… Do you think that the Malfoys will be able to find Potter there?" he asked.
"I doubt it," Severus answered. "If they could, Lucius would have long ago handed Potter over. May I ask why the Malfoys are on the run?" he knew why of course, but to keep up appearances it was crucial that he played the part of the ignorant but curious follower.
"Well observed, and you may ask," Voldemort answered. "Let's just say that Potter's life is not the only one at risk if they don't marry. Though Lucius seemed to believe I would not welcome the union. Bella, I want you to search their rooms. Maybe they left some clues behind as to where they've run off to. You're dismissed."
Bellatrix angrily glared at Severus as they walked out of the room. She still distrusted him. But at least if either of the boys was captured, they would be kept alive until their wedding. He hoped that it would not come to this and that Potter and Draco were smart enough to stay under the protection of the Fidelius at Grimmauld Place.
-~-~- Toujours pur, toujours du sang de Black -~-~-
Oh joy, I'm left to write the Dark Lord's well wishes for Potter's marriage announcement, Severus thought as he forcefully closed the front door of Spinner's End behind him. Why again have I copied Granger's method of sending a message? he wondered. Ah, yes, because it was the first thing that came to mind. Severus was not in the mood to come up with an announcement that included the right key-words to make both Bellatrix and the Dark Lord believe that Andromeda would get the hint.
Why not let others do the work for me? he thought. One thing he'd learned from Potter during their Occlumency lessons was that the reporter Rita Skeeter was an unregistered animagus. Looking at the list the Dark Lord had 'graced' him with; he saw that it included enough information on the curse that giving Skeeter the right key-words to emphasise should satisfy both Bellatrix and the Dark Lord. Yes, 'Black blood' and 'wedding during the new moon' should do the trick.
-~-~- Toujours pur, toujours du sang de Black -~-~-
Time schedule: Voldemort arrived at 11:20am, just as the Malfoys left, 11:45am Bella enters the room, 11:55am Bella reveals the Malfoys' disappearance. 2pm Tom summons his followers.
AN: We'll go back to Harry and the Malfoys in the next chapter. How do you think the Wizarding world, and the occupants of Grimmauld Place will react to the marriage announcement?