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Over the next week, I have settled into a routine. I spend my nights in Marvolo's bed, by the time I wake up, Marvolo is always gone. We always have breakfast together often discussing news in the Daily Prophet. Then he departs for the Ministry and I adjourn to the library to wait for Remus.
Remus has already drawn up a schedule for my studies. I spend few hours till lunch studying whatever is on the schedule that day. Remus has not found much on Dumbledore till now. He has met Bathilda Bagshot who knew the Dumbledores quite well. But the woman is not willing to give up any information. We cannot simply take information and obliviate the woman as we need proof for that information to be of any use.
After lunch, I adjourn to my bedroom for a nap. After locking my bedroom, I call for Kreecher to take me to the Black house. I spend some time tending to special potion I am brewing for Snape. Just one more week and my potion will be ready to use.
The twins have already started with small pranks for Moody with Dobby's help. They have replaced Moody's foe glass with one of their own which always shows Dumbledore or Moddy's own piece. They have developed small patches which can blend in any surface and send stinging hexes at any heat source in vicinity. Dobby has applied a lot of those patches to all walls in Moddy's house. Dobby has also taken it upon himself to make life miserable for Moody by doing small things like hiding his wands or hip flask.
I return home as soon as I am able. I don't want Marvolo to be suspicious after all. After that I spend some time in the gardens, sometimes alone and sometimes the Lestrange brothers join me. I have found Rudolphus to be a likable person who loves to talk a lot. Rabastan on the other hand hardly says a word or two. They keep me entertained until Marvolo returns.
Marvolo has kept his promise to get me a chocolate box daily. We spend some time together in my living room, with me eating chocolates and Marvolo snogging me every few minutes. Marvolo has also taken upon himself to keep me informed about goings on of the Wizengamot. He often rants and raves about the stupidity of some laws which have not been changed for centuries, or some new ones passed in last century or so.
He complains about Dumbledore daily. Dumbledore may not have majority support in the Wizengamot anymore but that does not stop him from interfering with each and everything Marvolo tries to do. With Dumbledore being the Chief Warlock he still has a lot of power.
"Then why don't you remove him?" I ask Marvolo, fed up with his daily rants about Dumbledore.
"You only advised me about needing to maintain a public image. If I remove Dumbledore without a reason people won't accept it." He snapped, "I am sorry I am just frustrated, I have never worked within limitations before." He says apologetically.
I can certainly sympathise as he can no longer cast cruciatus at anybody who irritates him in the Wizengamot. "What if you have a valid reason to remove Dumbledore from his position?"
"And what that reason might be?" he asks curiously.
"For a long time now, Dumbledore has been ignoring his duties as the Headmaster of Hogwarts in favour of his more political duties. Ask the Board of Governors for a report on workings of Hogwarts in last few decades. It will clearly confirm poor performance of Dumbledore as the headmaster."
"Then you can ask in public interest for Dumbledore to choose his position as the headmaster or his political positions. Also for future, pass a bill that no Hogwarts headmaster should be able to hold a political position." Dumbledore should never have had that much power at his disposal. The power has definitely gone to his head.
"How can we be sure that he will choose his position as the headmaster of Hogwarts rather than his political positions?" Marvolo asks. A valid concern, if you don't know Dumbledore well.
"Hogwarts is the position of ultimate power Marvolo. Every witch and Wizard who will be influential in the future passes through its halls. Dumbledore picks his followers at young age and grooms them to follow his ideology. Just notice in the Ministry most of his followers were his favourite students in Hogwarts. And most of them will be Gryffindors. He encourages Slytherin vs Gryffindor rivalry subtlety which is carried forward outside of Hogwarts and into the Wizengamot, giving him more votes and power there. Trust me Dumbledore will never give up his position as the Headmaster of Hogwarts for anything."
Marvolo stares at me dumbfounded, "Then we need him out of Hogwarts." He declares.
"One thing at a time Marvolo, let's get him out of the Ministry first." I say.
"You have a plan." He looks at me shrewdly.
Damn, I slipped up. I had wanted him to view me as a clueless Gryffindor for a while yet. "Not yet, but I may have something soon."
"Then you have the task of getting him out of Hogwarts and you can have anything you want in return." He looks at me with a new look of respect.
Maybe my slip up won't be so bad, "I may have something in mind, and I will let you know in a few days."
Remus scolds me when I tell him about my slip up. "You need to be careful cub, he is the Dark Lord, and he won't take lightly to being manipulated."
"I promise Moony, and it is not like I want to hurt him or something. Have you gotten anything from Bathilda Bagshot?" I change subject when looks ready to object.
"Not yet, cub." He responds disappointed. "I want to tell her about what he did to you then I may be able to sway her over."
"You do that Moony and no hurries we have time yet. Now I need your help with the bill I wanted to draft." Remus and I worked on the bill for few days, finishing it just a day before the Wizengamot is scheduled to start changes.
I present the bill to Marvolo that evening. "This is what I want, if this bill is passed tomorrow in the Wizengamot, I will do everything in my power to get Dumbledore out of the Hogwarts."
The bill is a proposal to open an orphanage; 'The Lily Potter Orphanage' in honour of my mother. I have a Potter house with large grounds on outskirts of Hogsmead, which I can have expanded and remodelled within two weeks to the orphanage's needs. But I need the Wizengamot's approval to open the orphanage and the Ministry's corporation to locate and move all war orphans to the orphanage. I am setting up a vault for the orphanage with 500,000 galleons from the Potter Estates as starting fund and 10,000 galleons per month. But it will be impractical to take all expenses of the orphanage upon myself, so I want to set up a donation fund in which people can donate anything from money to clothes, toys and food whatever they can afford to donate to the orphanage. I need the Wizengamot's approval to set up the same.
Marvolo goes over the papers slowly, puts them down and looks at me intently, "An Orphanage, why?"
I was expecting that question, counting on it really, "I don't want any orphan to have a life like I had lived with my muggle relatives." I say shortly, the bait is set.
"Explain." He hisses; hook, line and sinker, I think smugly.
"I lived with my mother's sister after my parent's death. The Dursleys hate anything abnormal, and I being magical, am the epitome of abnormal for them. They hated my very existence and made sure that I knew that from a very young age. I was not physically beaten, Thank Merlin for small mercies, but I was often starved and given a long list of chores daily; and emotional abuse was extreme. I did not even know my name till first day of the primary school, as my relatives always called me freak or boy. My cousin picked up on his parent's hatred for me and bullied me every chance he got. I did not have a single friend till Ron Weasley that is why I was so blind to his faults. I won't wish my life even on my worst enemy."
Marvolo is seething by this point, "You will get your bill passed tomorrow." He informs me, "Do you want to present this bill yourself?"
Now I am surprised, he has been using both my seats in the Wizengamot for two weeks now without even asking me for permission. Not that he does not have any right to use my seats, but it still would have been nice if he had asked.
"No I want to stay far away from politics." I inform him and change the subject.
That night he makes love to me with a tenderness I had not known before. He treats me like a precious glass artefact which will shatter with slightest force. I have no doubt that the Dursleys's days are numbered now. I mentally congratulate myself on my first successful revenge.
Next day, I am finished with my special potion for Snape at last. Polaris Black called this potion 'the Black Love'. It is a love potion, but unlike any love potions I have heard before. For one, the potion can be absorbed through skin, so it is easier to administer. It is colorless and odourless, it solidifies into an undetectable layer when applied to any surface; making it harder to detect, but it can still be detected with some spells. After twenty fours of administering the potion, it evaporates without leaving any trace behind. Also the victim develops obsession with the brewer slowly over the course of a few weeks, so no one will ever suspect a love potion at work. After a month or so, it will become physically painful for the victim to stay away from the brewer and he will subconsciously seek out the brewer to get rid of the pain. There is no known antidote for the potion.
I need a way to administer this potion to Snape without detection. Snape is a paranoid bastard like Moody and often checks everything for hidden spells and potions. That leaves only one thing that he can never check, his wand. I call for Dobby and instruct him to coat Snape's wand in the potion when he is asleep tonight. Now I will just sit back and wait for Snape to come crawling to me.
Marvolo looks extremely pleased with himself when he returned home that evening, with my usual chocolate box in one hand and some papers in the other. He kisses me eagerly in greeting.
"You look especially smug today, something happened in the Wizengamot?" I ask him with a smile.
"No not the Wizengamot, well I got your bill passed," he says handing me the papers, "But I got the preliminary report from the Hogwarts Board of Governors. It certainly does not look good for Dumbledore. I will get final report in three weeks and then we can get Dumbledore out of the Wizengamot." He says smugly. "Get ready and let's go out, we need to celebrate." I have never seen him this excited.
"Just give me half an hour." I tell him with a smile.
I choose a simple robe in royal blue color with a simple gold chain around my neck. I tie my hair in a simple ponytail at base of my neck and quickly move to the reception hall to meet Marvolo.
"We are going to Rome, Just say 'La Pergola, Rome'." He informs me handing me some floo powder. I floo to what appears to be a reception hall after him. The matron quickly leads us to our table on the terrace. The restaurant is very elegant with trompe l'oeil ceilings and classic wooden paneling. The tables are perfectly set with Flanders linen, exquisite silver ware and fine porcelain crockery giving it a very refined and fine dining atmosphere.
But it is the view that takes my breath away. Beyond the panoramic windows the Eternal City is spread beneath us; the Dome of St Peter's seems close enough to touch.
"It is beautiful." I breathe.
"I will certainly reward Lucius for the view alone, he made reservations." He clarifies when I look at him quizzically, "The restaurant boasts a large collection of wine, it seems and Lucius is a wine lover. So what do you want to have?"
"I have never been outside of Britain or to some international cuisine restaurant, so I am a bit lost here." I tell him.
"Let's order nine course meals then and I will educate you along the way." He says with a smile.
So we turn our date into an impromptu lesson on the Mediterranean cuisine and different wines. I particularly enjoyed Duck foie gras with apple, almond and amaretti, Risotto with oysters and champagne and Fillet of veal marinated in pepper on aubergine purée with veal reduction. By the time dinner is over, I am a bit drunk after tasting at least ten different types of wines.
"Do you know, Marvolo, you have a very pretty face." I inform him as he leads me to the floo with his arms around my waist.
"I am not pretty, I am handsome." He informs me with a mock scowl.
"If I say you are pretty then you are pretty, and you have very pretty eyes too." I insist.
He keeps me upright with difficulty as we floo home. "If you say so, but you are the pretty one, my consort, and you have such pretty emerald eyes." He picks me up bridal style and moves to his bedroom. I giggle at him.
"You are not so bad for a Dark lord." I tell him with an impish smile. I forget everything for a while when he lowers me on his bed and kisses me.