Chapter Eleven

AN: Well, it should have been posted sooner, but… oh well. It's updated now.


Malfoy Manor

The holiday passed relatively quietly as the trio got used to their usual routines at the Manor.

Draco was glad he could finally talk to and spend as much time as he wanted with Harry in relative safety. It had been so annoying at Hogwarts. Everyone always looked at them strangely if they talked in the halls, even though most of the school probably knew they were friends. It still went against everything the students had been used to for generations.

Of course the fact that their routines had to be interrupted on Christmas Eve was not so much usual, but expected. The formal dinner between the Malfoy's and other influential families had been around for generations, though this was the first time Harry, Draco, Hermione and the other children had to sit with the other adults. Before they had been sent into a different room. But now that they were of some social standing…


"Ah… Narcissa, it's been too long. Your son has grown since I last saw him, Pansy speaks well of him. And who are these two?" Mrs. Parkinson said as she entered the hall.

"They are my adopted children, Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, she is to be my heir." Tom said from the table where he watched everyone carefully.

"Ah, yes Blaise told me about the, though the boy… a Gryffindor?" Mrs. Zabini questioned, spitting out the houses name as a if it were a disease.

"Like his parents. However, he would have been worthy of Salazar's house, and while at the Manor he is treated as such." Narcissa said. She had been protective of Harry ever since taking him from the muggles, even after the years had passed.

Dinner was served and talk was reduced to the current policies in effect in the Wizarding World.

"Hogwarts is still run by that fool Dumbledore sadly." Mr. Zabini was speaking with Lucius. "I had a mind to send Blaise to Durmstrange, but that school is run by Karkoroff. Everyone in the circle knew he was a traitor."

"Karkaroff… he's a spineless coward, nothing more." Severus sneered. "Like Pettigrew was."

"True, but they have their uses." Tom said. The others looked at him, he was seemingly still new to them as a political power, the adults around the table, bar Lucius and Narcissa, still did not know who he was. Hermione let a relieved mental sigh pass knowing that the students had listened to her threat.

"Of course-" Mr. Parkinson started but he cut off with a look from his wife. "We must go."

Mrs. Parkinson had a strained look on her face. Harry wondered if it was due to her pregnancy.

"Wonderful dinner Narcissa." Mrs. Nott stood leaning slightly on her husband. "We must talk some more another time."

"Go to bed." Narcissa ordered to the trio.

The trio made their way to the second floor silently until they had passed out of hearing range of the adults. Harry and Draco looked at Hermione the entire way as she kept her mask in place. They knew now, before the other day they had known what she had to do and they resented her a leas a little bit. Now though, they could see the strain it placed on her, eleven year old girls were not supposed to be worrying about such things as the future of the entire world and her place as future leader. They would help her as much as they could, even if all they could do was be the ones she could lean on when she needed a break.

"Come on Hermione, bet you tomorrow you get a book."

Hermione hit Harry in the back of the head. "What it's true!"

She laughed a little, the first one out of pure amusement in a long while.

"And you and Draco will get something related to Quidditch most likely."

The boys grinned, yes they would get something related to Quidditch. Last year it had been a new practice set of balls, this year--Nimbus 2000's.

"You got that right." Draco opened his door. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Night." They echoed.

Harry and Hermione stood in the hallway silent for a few moments.

"Harry-"

"Hermione-"

Harry motioned for her to speak first.

"When I am queen you know that-"

"I am going to be King. Yeah. I know." Harry hugged her, she stiffened. He let go. "Everything will be fine. I won't let you go crazy like Tom did the first time."

Hermione nodded. She went further down the hall entering her own room leaving Harry wondering why he had the feeling that his promise wouldn't be fulfilled. He shook his head and headed into his own room.


"The girl is your heir Riddle?" Mr. Zabini asked seeing the children leave, his wife had left with Mrs. Nott as they got down to business. The two women were not marked, few females had ever been marked in the death eater ranks. Bellatrix Lestrange being one of three marked.

"She is quite powerful." Tom said sipping the wine a house elf had brought out.

"But she is a muggle born."

"Theodore says she is the brightest of their year with Draco and Potter following." Nott said joining the conversation. "Those two boys follow her without question."

"Of course they do. After all she is my heir." Tom said smirking. He let a fraction of his power flow through the Dark Mark of those in the room. All but Severus, Lucius and Narcissa gasped in surprise.

"My Lord?" Zabini asked in awe.

"Yes, I have returned. But only those in this room know of my return. At least of the Death Eaters. Dumbledore knows of my return, he knew it when he found my diary at the house of Harry's muggle relatives. I have been training the children into my successors for the past few years." Tom looked a the two men. They were two of his most loyal, though not as fanatical as Bellatrix or as deeply ingrained in the ministry as Lucius, they had served him without question before his fall.

"My Lord, what would you have us do?" Nott spoke, little fear of what may come in his voice.

"Wait. For the moment, the time is not right for the others to know of my presence, soon though. Keep me informed of any traitors or those who may become traitors. Severus is our spy at Hogwarts, he will keep me informed if the Order moves."

"And those at Azkaban?" Zabini looked to Narcissa knowing that her cousin and sister were prisoner there. "When will we free them?"

Tom looked into the wine glass the burgundy liquid the same hue as his eyes. "In time, we will need to find a place for them of course."

"I would be more than honored to allow the use of our Manor my Lord." Zabini stood bowing as he did so. "The ministry doesn't suspect my family at all, they have always believed us to be neutral in the war."

Tom thought for a moment at the request. "Very well, then preparations must be made. It will be some time though before we make our move. It will happen when they least suspect it." Tom smirked. "Maybe when the Tournament returns, my heir will be part of it of course."

"Tournament?" Nott asked. "Not the Tri-Wizard Tournament?"

"Yes… my contacts at the ministry were more than happy to tell me that the minister is going to bring it back." Tom set the empty wine glass down. He looked at the five closely, scanning their feelings on the tournament. Narcissa had a vague sense of worry projected and he turned to her. "It will be a good test for my heir. Harry and Draco would not be involved in it."

She nodded. "Yes, it would be… she would be the youngest Champion to have ever graced the tournaments history, if she were to win…"

Severus stood. "Albus would make sure to put a block on the cup to make sure it would not happen."

"That can be taken care of easily." Tom snorted "That old codger, I have more than capable spies at Hogwarts to find out whatever the block may be."

Severus nodded and bowed shortly. "My Lord, I must return to Hogwarts. What shall I tell Dumbledore if he asks about your return?"

"Tell him I think you a traitor, that I don't trust you with you so close to him all the time. That I have returned, but I am still regaining my strength." Severus bowed and left to floo back to Hogwarts.

"Is Severus to be trusted my Lord?" Nott asked. "He was spoken for during the trials by Dumbledore himself-"

Tom looked at him his red eyes flashing in anger. "You dare to doubt my decision? Severus has been and always will be faithful to me and my heir. He would do anything for the Dark just as he forbearers have done so for the past five-hundred years." Tom smirked. "The Snape family is tied to the Dark more so than any other. Even the Malfoys can not match them."

Nott bowed hopping that he would not be cursed for his doubts, amazed that he hadn't been already.

"It is no matter though, tell your son that no harm is to come to my heir and to make sure that no one else finds out that she is my heir." Tom raised his wand as Nott made to stand. "Do not tempt me to curse you Nott."

Nott's eyes widened. He left quickly as he was dismissed.


I'll work on the next chapter soon.