Chapter 5 – The talk.
Severus yawned. Rolling over, he glanced at the clock on the wall of his chambers. 6:00. He would have time to stop by Malfoy manor before class after all, he thought to himself, as he climbed out of his four poster bed. The potions masterwas well aware of the fact that he would have to play his cards well, if he were to convince Lucius that Harry's place was at the head of a resurrected dark side, with the pair of them acting as the boy's mentors. Lucius, pure blood wizard that he was could easily be swayed by the promise of position and authority. All he would have to do would be to offer him the role of leader of their organisation, at least until Harry was ready to assume a position of leadership, which would not be for many years yet at least.
As he dressed and wandered off to the entrance hall, the head of Slytherin house allowed his thoughts to drift from his friend to his former master. The headmaster had warned him that lord Voldemort would some day return, and that when he did, the young Potter would need guidance and protection. Snape grinned at the irony. Guidance was what he intended to give the boy. Guide him to great places in the wizarding world, and protect him from the dogmatic views on magic held by Dumbledore and his 'order of the phoenix'. A young wizard of Harry's potential needed to understand... a wider view of magic. But, if he and Lucius were to convert the latter's nephew to the dark side, and abandon Dumbledore's plans presented a host of other problems. Their new dark organisation, havinf renounced both the light and dark lords would quickly be set upon from all sides, with the headmaster determined to protect his 'greater good', the ministry desperately struggling to hold onto power and the presumably arisen Lord Voldemort refusing to compete with another dark lord.
Of course, he reasoned to himself as he reached the doors to the grounds, before any of this became an issue, he would have to convince the Malfoy family that this was a good idea in the first place. Reaching the grounds, he stalked across to the gates, leaving the apparation wards behind. Closing the gate carefully behind him, he apparated on the spot to Malfoy manor.
Narcissa was awoken by a sharp rap on the bedroom door. Looking around, she smiled fondly at her still sleeping husband before dressing to attend to whatever was causing the commotion outside.
"Come in," she called. The door opened, and in walked Dobby, the house elf who had taken the most liking to Harry. As such, Lucius had told the servant that he would be his nephew's personal elf during the summer. She smiled down at the over eager servant.
"What can I do for you, Dobby?"
"Good morning,mistress. Dobby merely wished to inform master that there is a Mr. Snape here to speak with Master. Dobby will come back when master is awake." She smiled down at the elf.
"Easy there Dobby, run down and tell that I will join him for breakfast down in the dining room soon enough."
The elf nodded, and hurriedly left the room, leaving Narcissa with a snoring husband, and the mystery as to why their old friend, Severus Snape had decided to pay them a visit so suddenly. Surely the boys were not in trouble already! Today was only the first day. No, it must be something other than school-related – perhaps... no, she refused to think of that. She and Lucius had two young children to look after, she could not have her husband's old lord's servants turning up on the doorstep, and discussing plots to find their old master and revive him, to "finish what we started, and purge the world of mudbloods and muggles!" She snorted. What a ridiculous concept, to plot mass genocide. Why, if Lucius were to be believed, Lord Voldemort's true name was Tom Marvolo Riddle, and he was himself what he referred to as " a filthy half-blood" with a "filthy muggle" for a father. As a mother, she could no longer condone such prejudices. Her children - yes, she thought of Harry as a son – would not grow up with hate in their lives, and if Severus Snape intended to plant such hate in their lives, than he would not be welcome in her house. Neither would any other blood supremacist preaching the 'might is right' ways of their beloved lord. Composing herself, the Malfoy matriarch slipped into her 'ice queen' mask, and strode, almost regally down the staircase to great her unexpected guest. Reaching the dinning room, she found Severus sitting at the mahogany table, sipping a cup of coffee, most likely given to him by Dobby. He had not changed much since the last time she had seen him; same black robes, greasy black hair and hooked nose. Same cold, calculating black eyes, and sneering expression as he read the morning's daily prophet. Here was one man, who, no matter how much he may have fooled Albus Dumbledore and the order of the phoenix into thinking otherwise, would never change his ways, or his opinion on muggles for that matter. She would have to tread carefully around this one if she were to protect her family from his machinations.
The potions teacher glanced up as she entered the room, beaming at her. He stood up, kissing the knuckle of her outstretched hand.
"It is very good to see you again after so long Cissy. Although... I wonder, is Lucius around? What I want to discuss concerns both of you." That caught her attention. If he had wanted to speak with Lucius about restoring lord Voldemort's powers to him, he wouldn't need her there when they spoke. Whilst Lucius was a death eater, Narcissa had never personally taken the mark, having been deemed loyal through her marriage to one of the inner circle. She was no death eater, unlike her sister. She sighed, Bella, where had she gone so wrong? Or was she always the way she was now, with no one really noticing.
"I am afraid that Lucius is not up yet, Sev. Would you like to join me for a spot of breakfast while we wait for him to wake up?"
The Slytherin head of house nodded. "That sound's nice to me, Cissy" he smiled slightly. As they ate, he discussed the sorting with her, and his night time conversation with Harry, leaving out his plans for the boy. There was no need to inform her of that piece of gossip yet, at least not until Lucius was awake, and he convinced him that the boy could – and should – be turned. It was not that Severus was afraid of Narcissa, on the contrary, the pair were old friends. He simply did not see the need to worry her.
" Good morning, Cissy" Lucius' voice carried down, just as she was finishing with her eggs Benedict.
"Good morning darling," she responded, smiling although she knew he could not see her. He wandered down into the dining room, tying off his dressing gown. She smiled warmly at her husband as he pecked her on the cheek. "Look whose here, Lucius." He glanced up beaming when he saw Severus. The latter stood up, moving around the table. Her husband embraced the man he had come to view as a younger brother.
"What brings Dumbledore's little stooge out to these parts, eh Severus?" He enquired, smiling derisively at the potions master and suspected spy for the order. Snape snorted at the comment, rolling his eyes in a manner only he could. Her husband chuckled at the younger man's antics. He still acted like he had not turned to the light after Voldemort began hunting her sister-in-law and her husband, the sister that Lucius still grieved for every day, always wishing he had acted sooner. She knew he blamed himself for Lily's death, despite secretly helping her go into hiding, at great personal danger for his own young family.
"If our talks today go well, none of us never need be stooges, again, my dear friends," there was something about that comment that Narcissa did not like. Her maternal instincts were on overdrive. Perhaps it was something in his voice, or the cold smile that did not reach his eyes, but something made her shudder. Snape was cold, and it scared her.
Lucius did not seem to notice her reaction to their friend's words. "What could you possibly be plotting my dear potions master?" her husband enquired, in his usual drawling tone. The potions master smiled.
"Something that could make you, and your descendent, the most powerful wizards in Britain." he replied, carefully watching for their reactions. Lucius sneered at the other man.
"I am already the most powerful wizard in Britain's political landscape, in case you have forgotten, Snape."
Severus smirked rudely. "You mean your friendship with that fool minister for magic?" The teacher sneered back, "I can make you more powerful than you – than any Malfoy – has ever been. All you have to do is let me teach young Harry."
Narcissa raised an eyebrow. Clearly, Snape had taken leave of his senses. He was already one of Harry's teachers at Hogwarts. When she glanced at Lucius however, a look of sudden realisation crossed his eyes. Clearly he understood something she didn't. The silence was nerve wracking, so she made the decision to point out to Severus that he was already teaching Harry potions at Hogwarts,in case he had forgotten.
" That's not what he had in mind Cissy, is it Severus? Although it is not going to work out for him, with Harry in Gryffindor."She smiled proudly then, remembering what Severus had told her. "Actually Lucius, Harry got into Slytherin last night." Lucius smiled slightly. Snape merely stood there, watching Lucius, searching for something in his face. Narcissa groaned, it was annoying standing here like this.
"Will someone please explain to me what exactly is going on here?" Lucius turned to look at her. There was a haunted look in his eyes, a look she had only seen once before. The night Harry's parents died. It was as if he had seen a ghost.
"Severus here is suggesting that we turn Harry to the Dark side. Teach him the dark arts and the unforgivables. Raise him to become the new dark lord, while gets a position as the boy's mentor and right hand man." She covered her mouth with her hands, and turned to stare at Snape, what he was suggesting...he couldn't be serious – could he? By now, the boys' head of house was speaking again.
"But of course. All of us who play our part shall be rewarded. And those that stand in our way will be...dealt with...accordingly. Naturally, the boy will have to be taught at home as well as at school, and we will have to learn the dark lord's means of achieving immortality. It will take years for all the plans to come to fruition, but we can wait. Now Lucius, are you with me in this? Are you prepared to take what is ours, by force if we must? Can you stand up and avenge your sister's death?"
Lucius glared at his friend. "It was the dark lord who killed her, and you told him about the prophecy. You speak of loss, and justice for those who are gone, when it is your fault. IT'S YOUR FAULT SHE'S GONE! BECAUSE OF YOU, MY SISTER WAS TAKEN FROM ME – FROM HER FAMILY! NOW YOU WANT TO TAKE MY NEPHEW FROM ME TOO!"
Snape stood shocked. He gently placed a hand on her husband's shoulder. "I had no idea you felt that way Lucius. But I will not take the boy away from you. I merely want to train him."
She shook her head. "I know we cannot convince Dumbledore or the ministry to remove you from Hogwarts, but you must swear to me, or I will destroy you, that you will never use your position to influence my sons. Harry is as good as my son, and I will not see you courupt him. He is only a boy, and he must be allowed to make his own choices. If you try to sway him, I will use my entire fortune to destroy you. We cannot remove him from Hogwarts, because we must honour his mother's wishes. If it were not for that, he would be at Durmstrang – TODAY! Now get out. Get out!"
The professor turned, and with a swish of his robes, strode towards the doors of the Manor. They heard the doors slam behind him, and moments later, he was gone from the wards, having apparated back to Hogwarts
Snape hissed in pure rage. How dare she undermine him? How dare that woman threaten him like that? And all he wanted was to pursue the most likely – and profitable – course of action for them all. Harry would be a powerful wizard, that much was clear. And that was the kind our power that could be shaped, could be used, and ultimately that was the kind of power that could – nay, should – be controlled. And if she and her husband did not want to be a part of that, they did not have to be. As he said to Lucius, he could wait. Harry's power would only grow, and as he grew older, and he became more and more hounded by the press, so too would his anger. Severus could use that anger, play on the boy's emotions, and make them serve his whims. And in time, he would come to control the most dangerous force in all of magical Britain. For, no matter what she believed, Narcissa was not his mother, nor was Harry Lucius' son. He was James Potter's son, and, like him he would be ruled by his emotions, and through them, Severus himself. All he had to do was wait. He had the precious gift of patience.
He glanced at the clock. Sighing he swaggered off towards the great hall. Now was the time to present his Slitherins with their time tables.