Author's Note: Hiii readers! I know I've been quiet for a week and a half now, or so it seems. Lots going on. Thankfully, I've been able to finally sit down and write this. I'm still really busy so unfortunately the next update won't be until next weekend, but it'll be a good one, I promise.

Hope you enjoy this chapter! It's definitely one of my favourites.

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all rights and characters belong strictly to J.K Rowling. I am simply having fun with my imagination. Thanks

...Something ghostly seemed to wash over Snape but it was instantly gone. He looked Tom straight in the eyes and Tom saw through his black ones the long-awaited return of a faithful servant.

"I was never gone, my lord..."

CHAPTER 39: THE CHOSEN ONE

The summer flew by with little news from Dumbledore. All Tom knew was that Slughorn had agreed to take the job and was headed back to Hogwarts this year. Also, the Order was doing everything they could to put up defenses against Tom's ever growing army. Other than that, it was a pretty quiet summer on Tom's end. The Death Eater parties had become a regular thing once again. Nagini was enjoying herself now that she spent more time with Tom. And Lucius Malfoy was still crying in some prison cell. Things were really good.

Severus was back to attending the parties on a regular basis, which pleased Tom very much. He was Tom's eyes and ears inside Hogwarts and therefore Tom intended to keep him close to his side. But also, Severus had stayed true and loyal to Tom all those years. He, like Crouch Junior, had not faltered or given up or run away in fear of getting caught. He played the role of a 24 hour spy most beautifully and had gathered quite a load of useful information for Tom. For instance, it was because of Severus that Tom knew Harry Potter would be receiving private lessons from Dumbledore this upcoming school year. It was because of Severus that Tom knew the boy had inherited the Black family heirlooms, much to Bella's chagrin. It was also because of Severus that Tom knew the boy's nightmares and visions had ceased to exist. Though, Tom still did not know why.

"Magic always manages to surprise even the best of wizards, my lord," said Snape simply as the two dined in the sitting room of the Malfoy House, along with the rest of Tom's so-called main group.

As usual, Narcissa was sitting in the corner with Bellatrix, whispering with a distraught expression on her face. Beside her sat a young man with short blond hair and a grim expression. He was staring at the floor and playing with the hem of his robes. His attendance at the party had been requested by Tom for a very specific reason. And Narcissa, as clever as she was, refused to leave her son's side.

"Is it possible that the boy has been learning to fight Legiliments?" said Tom, looking away from the Malfoys and into Snape's black eyes.

"If he has, it is news to me, my lord," said Snape, darkly. "Dumbledore of course is one of the greatest wizards of all time."

"Naturally," agreed Tom.

"And so if he has been teaching the boy some kind of defenses, it would not surprise me," concluded Snape.

Tom nodded, glancing back down at the newspaper article on his lap:

Harry Potter: The Chosen One?

Rumours continue to fly about the mysterious re-cent disturbance at the Ministry of Magic, during which He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was sighted once more.

"We're not allowed to talk about it, don't ask me anything," said one agitated Obliviator, who refused to give his name as he left the Ministry last night.

Nevertheless, highly placed sources within the Ministry have confirmed that the disturbance cen-tered on the fabled Hall of Prophecy. Though Ministry spokeswizards have hitherto refused even to confirm the existence of such a place, a growing number of the Wizarding community believe that the Death Eaters now serving sentences in Azkaban for trespass and attempted theft were attempting to steal a prophecy. The nature of that prophecy is unknown, although speculation is rife that it concerns Harry Potter, the only person ever known to have survived the Killing Curse, and who is also known to have been at the Ministry on the night in question. Some are going so far as to call Potter "the Chosen One," believing that the prophecy names him as the only one who will be able to rid us of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. The current whereabouts of the prophecy, if it exists, are unknown...

"When is this article from?" Tom asked Snape.

"A couple of weeks ago," Snape answered. "Here is today's."

He handed Tom that day's copy of the Daily Prophet and Tom smiled at the headlines.

Death Eater Attack Targets Muggles

Gringotts Raid Fails: Hexes Fly

Exclusive: New Minister Promises Swift Action

Death Eaters: How They Challenge Security Measures

Fallen From Grace: Malfoy's Wife and Son Leave Trial

Tom looked up and met Narcissa's eyes. She had a frightened look on her face.

"Come," said Tom, tossing the newspaper back to Snape.

Narcissa nudged her son and the both of them got to their feet and slowly approached Tom.

"Bow to me," said Tom.

They exchanged a look and then bowed low to him. Tom's eyes lingered over Narcissa for a moment before they landed on Lucius' son.

"Draco," he said, affectionately, and he stood up and embraced the boy, who looked beyond puzzled. "I am so glad you could make it."

He let go of the boy and stared at him. The boy gave him a small smile and then lowered his head again so that his eyes were staring fixedly on the ground.

"Draco," said Tom, both his hands still on the boy's shoulders. "Look at me when I talk to you, Draco."

Draco raised his head and met Tom's eyes.

"Y-yes, my lord," he whispered.

"Good," said Tom, smiling. "How old are you now, Draco?"

Tom already knew the answer but wanted the satisfaction of hearing it again.

"S-s-sixteen," mumbled Draco.

"Sixteen," said Tom, aloud. "I do remember another boy who was sixteen when he joined my ranks."

Tom moved away from Draco and began to slowly walk around the room.

"He was an exceptionally good follower and very skilled for such a young wizard," he continued. "I trusted him beyond anything else. I was most impressed with his charisma, his abilities, his perseverance." Tom paused and then chuckled a little. "He reminded me a lot of myself."

Draco smiled slightly. Narcissa had taken hold of his hand and stood beside him.

"He was related to you, you know," said Tom, who stopped on the other side of the room and turned to face Draco again.

"You speak of Regulus," said Narcissa, "My lord."

"Yes," said Tom, raising an eyebrow at her. "Young Regulus."

"H-he betrayed you though, s-sir," she said, in a small voice.

"Much like your husband," Tom pointed out.

This silenced Narcissa at once.

"And I believe," added Tom, taking a few steps towards her, "I was talking to your son."

"Y-yes, my lord," she said quickly, lowering her head at once.

Sneering, Tom turned back to Draco.

"You miss your father?"

The boy nodded silently.

"I will bring him back if you will do something for me," lied Tom.

Draco stared at him.

"Are you ready to join my ranks, Draco Malfoy?"

The boy's jaw dropped. Beside him, Severus did not look the least bit surprised and simply watched the boy, waiting for his answer. Narcissa had gasped at the question, and some of the other Death Eaters in the room had whispered to each other. But Tom kept his eyes firmly on Draco and waited.

"I'm..." said Draco, in a slightly trembling voice. "I'm not s-sure I have acquired the...the necessary skills yet, my lord."

"Come now, Draco," said Tom. "I know you're not in Gryffindor but have a little more bravery to try new things!"

"I don't want to disappoint you, my lord," said Draco, in barely more than a whisper.

"Well," said Tom, sighing heavily. "You will join me by the end of this summer, I guarantee that. You see, Draco, I have a little job for you and I know you will be exceptionally brilliant at it." He took a step towards him and glared him in the eyes, seeing Lucius Malfoy looking back at him. "You have until the end of the summer to acquire the necessary skills."

And with that, he turned round and stalked out of the room, waving Snape to follow him.

It was a cold night as they walked along the back hills of the large manor. Tom had invited Nagini to join them as well and she slithered on by them.

"If there is a job you need doing, my lord, I'll be happy to do it," said Snape.

"No, no," said Tom, smiling. "This is a job for Draco."

"But the boy is right, my lord, he hasn't got any special talents. He is not trained in any way. He's not ready for-"

"Oh Severus, don't be a fool!"

Snape stopped and looked at Tom, uncomprehending his meaning.

"Severus," said Tom. "I am trying to punish the boy for his father's mistakes. Lucius has disappointed me a great deal. It is time he paid." Severus seemed to understand for he nodded and continued the walk. "It is important to me that my Death Eaters understand that they cannot get away with things quite easily. Not with me as their lord, anyway. Lucius is rotting in a prison cell right now but I cannot see this and so it does not satisfy me. But watching Draco attempt to carry out the job that I have for him (and failing miserably at it, I guarantee that) will be most entertaining, I admit."

"And what is the job that you plan to give to him, sir?" said Snape.

Tom stopped to look at him and lowered his voice.

"I want Albus Dumbledore dead, and Draco is going to do this for me."

It was a while before Snape found his voice. It was the most shocked Tom had ever seen him.

"I work at Hogwarts, my lord," he finally said, in a hoarse voice. "I dine with Dumbledore every night. I have managed to deceive him, after all these years, and he believes me to be on his side. He believes me to be a part of the Order of the Phoenix. He believes me to be his servant. Who better to give this job to, then? Why are you entrusting a child with such an important thing?!"

"Severus," interjected Tom. "I trust you the most, and I know you could do the job easily, which is why, when Draco shall fail, I will turn to you to help me with this. There is no question of it." Snape relaxed a little bit. "But do not deny me the chance to have a little fun. I want Lucius Malfoy punished. He deserves punishment."

"Of course, my lord," said Snape, suddenly. "I understand completely."

"Good," said Tom, starting the walk again. "I knew you would."

"So there is no changing your mind about this, then?" said Snape. "If you really want Dumbledore out of the way, I could guarantee that much faster than Draco ever will."

"No, there is no changing my mind," confirmed Tom. "Getting Dumbledore out of the way is not so urgent to me right now. I am still gathering my troops and preparing for what is to come."

"And what exactly is to come, my lord?"

"If things go on as they have these last few months, I hope to have control over the ministry by this time next year," said Tom. "I am giving Draco his entire school year to complete the job. That should be plenty of time. Once Dumbledore is out of the way, taking over the ministry will be easy."

"I agree, my lord," said Snape. "I shall help him complete the job then."

"No," said Tom. "Don't do that, Severus."

"Why not?"

"I want to see him fall on his back," said Tom. "I want to see him suffer. If Draco suffers, Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy suffer. And they deserve suffering."

"Alright," said Snape, though it sounded to be in a sort of painful voice.

Tom knew that Snape suffered the wraths of love before and had been left wounded. He knew that because of this, Snape had a tendency to help other people he cared about. He knew that Snape had grown attached to the Malfoy family over the years and would do anything to help them. But he also knew that Snape would not dare to go behind his back or disobey him, as he was his most trusted and most loyal servant.

"I must say," said Tom, changing the subject. "You are the best actor I've ever known in all of my life, and I have lived quite a long life."

"How do you mean, sir?"

"Well, if you remember, I did have a little adventure at Hogwarts a few years ago," said Tom. "His name was Quirrell."

"Yes, I remember," said Snape.

"I also remember you threatening him every now and then and trying to stop him from getting into that room on the third floor."

"All Dumbledore's orders, of course," said Snape.

"I know," said Tom, nodding. "And I am very proud of how well you played your part, I really am."

"You are very kind, my lord," said Snape.

"I do have some questions, Severus," said Tom as they turned around and started to head back towards the house.

"Sir?"

"Well, I can't help but notice the irony."

"Irony?"

"Yes, you see, you specifically asked me not to kill Lily Potter, do you remember?"

"Yes," said Snape, in a strained voice.

"And I unfortunately had no choice but to kill her," said Tom simply. "And here we are, fifteen years later, and you are my best servant. A bit ironic, don't you think?"

"People change, my lord," said Snape. "You of all people know that, I'm sure."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning that I'm sure Avery was not always as he is now."

At this, Tom chuckled aloud.

"Yes, Avery was very much like Wormtail, once."

Feeling a bit better, Tom changed the subject once again.

"So, I see that now you have managed to score the teaching post that I was once rejected for," he said, conversationally.

Snape tensed up a bit but nodded.

"How do you plan on handling it?"

"I haven't thought about it yet, sir," said Snape.

"I am not trying to interfere, Severus," said Tom, at once. "I have better things to do than go chasing down some teaching post. That was what my younger self once wanted. I am a different person now."

"Yes, sir," said Snape. "Of course, sir."

"But if you should need help finding some ideas as to what to teach or how to teach it," said Tom.

"You are very kind, sir," said Snape, again.

Tom smiled as they walked back up to the house.

"It's going to be an eventful year," he said, contentedly.

"It is," agreed Snape.

"Do pass along my thanks to Slughorn, won't you?" said Tom, opening the door and entering the house again. "That man once helped me a great deal. I would not be standing where I am now if it weren't for him."

And, smiling at his little joke, he closed the door on Severus, who looked slightly horrified.

The next time Severus came by for a dinner party was near the end of August, on his last week before he had to be back at Hogwarts.

"Severus!" said Tom, who looked absolutely delighted to see him. He hugged his servant and then led him outside for a short walk.

"How have you been, Severus? I was beginning to worry that you'd grown bored with our hospitalities."

"Of course not, my lord," said Snape, quickly. "I have only been busy preparing for the upcoming school year. Dumbledore knows I fought long and hard for that post. If I do not appear to be the least bit excited for it, he will know something is up."

"Very clever of you, Severus," said Tom. "I am glad to see you are taking your real job seriously."

"Of course, my lord, I have been for 15 years."

"Good," said Tom. "So what is it you wanted to talk to me about?"

Snape paused.

"Lucius Malfoy."

"What about him?"

"With all due respect, my lord, I think you should free him and let him come back to you as a faithful servant."

"Lucius was never a faithful servant, Severus, you should know that,"

"Of course, my lord. I just feel that it will—it does—affect Narcissa and Draco a great deal."

"So?"

"So, if you want their utmost attention on tasks that you give to them, then—"

"Severus, how many times have I told you to stop caring so much?" said Tom, tiredly. "You are wasting your time with it. It never gets anybody anywhere good."

"Of course not, my lord, I was just merely suggesting that—"

"Listen to me, for a change," said Tom, sharply but quietly. "You just keep doing the job that you have been doing so well these last 15 years, alright? Leave the other things to me. I shall take care of them."

"Yes, my lord."

"Good," said Tom, putting a hand on Snape's shoulder. "Now, let's go and make ourselves a little Death Eater."

Back in the house, Draco was standing nervously next to his mother. Tom ordered everyone to gather around as Draco held out his arm and Tom began to distribute the Dark Mark to him. When the process was complete and Draco had vowed his allegiance to Tom, Tom cleared everyone else out of the room so that he could speak with Draco. He allowed Narcissa and Bella to be present and so they stayed.

When the four of them were alone, Tom let go of Draco's arm which was bleeding now slightly, and began to slowly pace around the room.

"I am only letting Narcissa and Bella be here for this because you are still underage," said Tom. "And so I swear to the three of you that if the following information leaves this room, I will slice your throats."

"We understand, my lord," said Narcissa, in a slightly shaking voice.

"Good," said Tom. "Now then, as I have mentioned before, I do have a job for you, Draco. Consider this your first Death Eater task."

"Whatever it is, Draco will be happy to do it," said Narcissa.

"Oh shut up already," Tom told her, and she closed her mouth at once.

He turned back to Draco.

"Albus Dumbledore," he said simply.

"W-what about h-him, m-my lord?" said Draco.

"I want him dead," announced Tom.

"Y-y-you w-want m-me to…?"

"That's right. I want you to kill him. I don't care how you do it, just make sure that heart stops beating, understand?"

Draco nodded once and gulped nervously.

"And you are not to receive any help doing this," Tom warned him. "Not from your mother or any of the other Death Eaters. Completing this task will show me that you have what it takes to be a Death Eater."

"Yes, sir," whispered Draco.

"And you," said Tom, turning to Bella, "Are not allowed to help him with this."

"Of course not, my lord," she said, quickly. "I wouldn't dream of it."

Tom turned back to Draco.

"I suppose it is you who is the real chosen one, isn't it?" he said, cleverly.

Draco nodded slowly.

"You have until June," said Tom, seriously, and with that, he left.

Snape was waiting for him out in the garden. Tom walked up to him and together they walked away from the house.

"Will he do it, my lord?"

"He'll try," said Tom, smiling at Snape. "It is going to be quite an eventful year."

Poor Draco :( he has basically been ordered to write his own death certificate

Well, that's it for now. I'll see you all next weekend with a new chapter that will detail all of the Half Blood Prince plotline but in a fast-forward version, from Tom's perspective of course. And at the end, a reward for Snape.