Title: Ties That Bind
Author: Chiyo Javaid
Warnings: Slash (guy on guy ... eventually), coarse language and Character Death.
Summary: What happens, when you live in a world where nothing is as it seems. When everythingyou once believed was a lie? You get Serpens Malfoy's life, of course. SLASH.
Note: Chapter Seven. Next update in a week or two. Holidays are ending and I have homework I need to do, I also got inspired for one of my Original Stories ... Btw, Immortal? I started writing BS!! Bernedette is zawesome ... fun to write as well! Anyway, please read and review ...

Disclaimer: I ... actually really want that job I applied for (Casual Attendant at movies ...)


chapter seven
plans


It had been another week since Serpens' talk with Tom – as the wizard had insisted upon him calling him. They had been struggling to come up with a reason for the weird sort of connection the three seemed to share. All they had managed to figure out was that Serpens was a sort of a go-between. Pansy couldn't hear Tom's thoughts directly – only through Serpens, and vice versa. Hours upon hours in the expansive Malfoy Library had done nothing to help this – no matter how hard Pansy or Artemis tried. Serpens and Draco had been stepping back, unwilling to do any kind of extensive research. Narcissa didn't particularly approve – it hadn't taken her long to slip into "parent-mode" with Serpens – despite him having just joined the family again. Others might call it unwise, to trust him so completely after hardly any time at all. But you didn't doubt an intended's bond. It was that strong.

There was still a month left until Hogwart's started up again, and so all of them – Lucius, Narcissa, Tom, Artemis, Pansy, Draco and Serpens – had started to plan. They would need a plan – and a good one – to explain Serpens previous absence, and why he was suddenly there now. Narcissa had been reluctant to let Serpens go to Hogwart's – and so Artemis had been the compromise. She had ditched her (now previous) job at the wizarding Jeweler's, where she had spent her time creating various magical charms, and had applied for the position as the Potion's Apprentice. Completely made-up, of course.

Tom had called in on his Death Eater – Severus Snape – and told him to ask Dumbledore for an apprentice. He had used the excuse of "not being able to deal with those brats alone" to get it and Artemis was all set. She was due to go to Hogwart's in a couple of weeks. The Professor's always went to school two weeks ahead of time to prepare for another year.

They had heard that Horace Slughorn had been taken on as Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor.

After a lot ofarguing – with Pansy, Narcissa and Artemis – it had been decided that Tom would start up a "Junior" branch of the Death Eaters. It had only been when he assured the three females that it would be nothing like the sort of work that Lucius and Narcissa did – that they had "allowed" it.

They hadn't really come up with a name yet (Serpens kept coming up with obscene names and claiming Artistic License) but they had pretty much figured out what the junior branch was about. Serpens and Draco would head it (Pansy would be Serpens second, Draco hadn't decided yet) – Artemis being their "person on the inside" – and they would recruit. Recruit students who seemed like they could be swayed, and they would gather whatever information they could. They would also go along with all of Dumbledore's pretenses, and once they had graduated, they would become Death Eaters, if they wished. Tom had hoped (and they all hoped with him) that the war would be over by then, however.

"Serpens?" Lucius murmured one morning, still staring down at his morning paper. "Would you care to explain a rather curious credit card bill I received the other day?"

Serpens gulped ever so slightly, sending a glare Pansy's way. She merely grinned, before returning to her porridge. "Uhm … Pansy said it would be okay?" he tried nervously. "Apparently I was in dire need of a whole new wardrobe …"

"I can imagine," Lucius said dryly. "Pansy, dear?" he purred. Said girl looked up, shuddering slightly.

Lucius purring is just wrong, on so many levels.

Try being in the room when he puts the moves on Narcissa, Tom replied, having heard Pansy's thought through Serpens' head.

Would you two stop doing that! I feel like a telephone …

A what?

Never mind …

It's a muggle device used to communicate over long distances. Costs a bloody fortune too … Tom answered.

Serpens and Pansy stared at Tom in surprise, while Artemis groaned, noticing the signs of mind speak.

"They're doing the creepy psychic thing again," she moaned, tugging at Draco's sleeve. "Make them stop …"

"What are you, three?" he said in disgust, shaking his arm out of her grip. She sniffed.

"Noooo, I'm a twenty-one year old with the mind of fourty-year old man and the intelligence of all the four Founders put together with the beauty of a goddess and the personality of a three-year old. It's called style, Draco; you should try it some time …"

Draco merely shook his head, a small smile quirking at his lips. Artemis was weird. It kind of reminded him of … No, I won't even go there … he told himself firmly.

"Behave, you two," said Narcissa, glaring at them. "Tom, Serpens, Pansy, I'm sure we would all appreciate it if you would talk to all of us," she added primly. The others nodded. Lucius sighed.

"Never mind," he murmured. "I'm sure if you hadn't spent it then, it would have happened at some point," he said, eyeing Narcissa ruefully. Narcissa merely smiled.

"We need as many people converted as we can get, Serp," said Tom, who had taken on the habit of calling him by his nickname. "Do you think you can manage that?"

"Yes. But … I'm thinking that they need to be told the truth, Tom," said Serpens, nodding. He continued before Tom could interrupt. "It's just … from what I know of the students, those who are doubting Dumbledore, will be hesitant, no doubt because of your supposed 'methods'. If they knew the truth, it would be a lot easier. Besides, what do you plan to do with the Death Eaters who don't know if you win this war?"

That shut Tom up.

"Fine," he said. "But you must be ever more careful on who you chose to trust, Serp."

"Oh, don't worry, I will be."

All the time they were talking, Pansy, Narcissa and Artemis watched them, their eyes glinting maniacally, as they reveled in something, only they knew. They looked to one another and nodded.

This was going to be fun.


Yet another week later, with only three weeks to go, the plan had pretty much been completed. Everyone knew what they were doing, and so on. But what the males didn't know was the women had a plan of their own.

Serpens sat in the library, one morning, skimming through a book on what, he really didn't know. His eyes danced over the words on the page, never really taking in what they were looking at. He was relieved when Tom came to sit next to him.

"Do you get the feeling that the women are keeping something from us?" he murmured, taking the book out of Serpens' hands. Serpens paused, thinking back over on the past week. Ever since that morning conversation, the women of the house had been rather secretive, sticking together and muttering away in rapid French under their breaths. Artemis had learnt French as a child, as it had always been planned for her to go to Beauxbatons, and Narcissa had also learnt it as a child, as well as Italian and Spanish. Narcissa had seen to it that Pansy had learnt at least one of these languages.

None of the men were fluent however, so there really was no need for the muttering.

Whenever Tom or Serpens walked by one of these little sessions, the girls would immediately stop talking, and smile at them. It was actually a surprisingly ominous action.

He nodded. "Yes," he said, also murmuring. He and Tom always seemed to adapt this tone with one another, and the fact that they were in a library seemed to make it even more appropriate. "Any idea what it could be about? Lucius doesn't seem to be any help," he continued.

"I may …" Tom said thoughtfully, trailing off. He made no mood to elaborate, and Serpens didn't push it. It didn't seem much like an urgent matter anyway, compared to what he was about to do.

"How are the Nibblers?" Serpens asked, using his pet name for the Death Eaters. "Munch on anything good lately?" He didn't really approve of the killing, still, and it was either joke about it, or cry. He'd picked joke.

"Nothing to report," Tom said, amused. "They've been quite tame, as of late, actually. I'd encourage them to do more, but Severus tells me that the Order is more worried about the silence, than anything. They seem to think it's all leading up to some big attack."

"And is it?"

"Surprisingly, no. But it's not a bad idea …" he said, laughing at Serpens mortified expression. "Kidding, Serp," he said. "No, I don't have anything big planned in the way of death. My big plan hopefully involves nothing of the kind, and hopefully will be the end of any need for such an attack."

"Hopefully …" Serpens murmured in agreement, and they lapsed into a comfortable silence.


Serpens stared out of his new bedroom window and sighed. It was so different from his last one. Come to think of it, so was this whole new life. Hence it being new. He hadn't been treated so nicely in … forever. He hadn't been abused or anything but his last home … he hadn't been "living the dream," per se. It hadn't been anything drastic, just the odd comment. Okay, maybe more than the odd comment. His family had seemed to love nothing more than to comment on his abilities, his looks, and his lack of anything in particular. It was like it was their hobby or something. He thought back on one of the boys who shared a dorm with him back at Hogwarts. Now that he really thought about it, they had led quite similar lives.

With only one more week left to go until the new school term, Serpens could hardly wait. Of course, it would all be different – nothing would be the same – not after what had happened nearly two years ago. Especially now that the public was being forced to see what was truly happening. It didn't take a genius to figure that out.

But it would still be nice, to go back there. To see everyone again. Well, everyone who had decided to go back, that is. Serpens wasn't sure who he would see, especially with the prospect of a re-sorting under his belt.

"They're plotting things," Draco muttered darkly as he flounced into the room. Serpens smiled vaguely, not taking his eyes off the window. He knew that his brother was referring to the females of the house. "It's starting to worry me …"

"Mm-hmm," Serpens hummed. "And why is that?"

"It might be another 'holiday'," muttered Draco.

"What, you're worried they might take you on Holiday? 'Oh no! Please don't drag me away from my boring paranoid life to go and drink fruity punch in the middle of a sandy beach while 'not perving' at the pretty local girls! No!' Come on, Draco," Serpens said, staring at the boy incredulously.

"You don't know what you're talking about. Mother, Miska and Pansy's idea of a holiday is shopping non-stop for a whole week only to go partying every night meaning you get no rest and come back unable to move. They then spend your recovery time taking over what little control you gained since the last holiday," said Draco, shuddering at the thought.

"… Yeah," said Serpens.

There was a pause, and then …

"Hey! I get it!" Serpens yelled. "Miska! Artemis Kallisto! Miska!"

"Idiot," Draco muttered, as he quietly slipped out of the room, leaving Serpens to his evolutionary thoughts.

… Yeah.


Note: Artemis' name is Artemis Kallisto Malfoy. ArteMIS KAllisto. MISKA. Get it? It was that or Kally ... yeah ... do you like the chapter? Is it less confusing now? I hope so ... if not, TELL ME!