Hi again, my dears!
So sorry for the delay in updating! Life has been horribly busy the last week. Basically, I've moved my entire life into a new apartment and I just got back to Norway to visit my family for the summer vacation, which proved to be more stressfull than I thought it would be. Hopefully this chapter will make it up to you!
Some people wondered about just what history lies behind Dobby and the other house-elves, so I've tried clearing this up in the new chapter. It's not a major part of the story, but is supposed to be a twist on just what house-elves are and why they serve magical families.
Also, to clear things up: Harry is about to start his second year at Hogwarts. This is why he might seem a bit too okay with the fact that Malfoy has become his magical guardian. Basically, he has yet to build up any strong antipathies towards Malfoy and though he is suspicious of the Dark side, he doesn't hate them yet. Voldemort is definitely not in his good books, the man killed his parents after all, but remember that Harry doesn't know the backstory to it, only that his parents are dead because of him.
So, thank you all for the reviews and let's get on with the stories!
He was woken up the next morning by the sun shining through his window and hitting him right in the face. Sighing, Harry tiredly rubbed his eyes and let them wander around the room for a few minutes to let him clear his head. For some reason, it felt like he had something important to do that day, as if something out of the ordinary was to happen. With a start, he remembered all the events from the day before and he groaned into his pillow. It took a force of will to just get up from his bed and walk over to his desk to re-read the letter from the Ministry again.
It was just as depressing as he remembered it being, there were just too many unanswerable questions, too many loose ends. Harry couldn't see how he'd be able to get any answers by himself. 'An official will pick me up…?' he thought to himself. 'I wonder who they'll send? Probably someone deep in the pockets of Malfoy Sr.' With yet another sigh and a yawn, the boy headed over to the door with the intent to make himself some breakfast before he had to face what would inevitably be a horrible and trying day. However, it would seem like Fortune was not on his good side that morning, as the person standing in the kitchen when he came in, with a slight sneer and a disgusted look on his face, was Professor Severus Snape.
'P-professor?' Harry stammered and stopped dead in his tracks. 'What are you doing here?' The greasy-haired man directed sharp, hawk-like eyes in his direction and his sneer grew slightly more pronounced. 'It's not like I chose to come here because I wanted to, boy. I'm here because the headmaster convinced the Ministry to send me as the one to accompany you to your new home. I can assure you, I was most opposed to this decision, but even I can't go again the Minister's orders.' The tone of his voice was ice-cold and Harry was surprised to feel a bit of sympathy for the man. Having to be the errand boy of the two most powerful men in the Wizarding world could hardly be fun, especially when those two men seemed to be on not-too-friendly terms.
'I don't understand, I thought headmaster Dumbledore was deemed 'unsuitable' to be my guardian? How does he still have a say in who comes to pick me up?' Harry asked, hoping to get some answers out of the dour potions master.
'Don't think that, just because he has been rejected as your legal guardian, Albus Dumbledore has no power within the Ministry anymore' Snape said, while managing to look horribly bored while doing so, directing a rather nasty glare towards aunt Petunia's spotless kitchen table, as if taking his anger out on the innocent piece of furniture. 'Oh no, the headmaster is still a member of the Wizengamot, though time will tell for how long.'
His words surprised Harry. He had always seen Snape as Dumbledore's man, however reluctant he might pretend to be. He thought with shame how he had suspected the potions master to be the one searching for the Philosopher's Stone last year, when at the end, it turned out the man had tried to protect him all along.
'What do you mean, sir? Will Dumbledore lose his place in the Wizengamot? Just what happened that made him lose his guardianship over me?' the tone of his voice was almost desperate, but at this point, Harry didn't care. Something was being hidden from him and he wanted to know what.
'You will know in due time. I suspect Lucius will want to tell you all about it. Until then, do stay quiet and hurry up. That way this will be over much quicker, which I'm sure will be a relief to us both.' Harry bit his lip to prevent himself from firing even more questions at the older man. Something told him that waiting for Malfoy to tell him everything was worth waiting for and somehow, Harry didn't mind going to Malfoy Manor as much anymore. What had been a symbol of being trapped in a house full of people who hated him had now turned into a source of answers, a way to gain some background information to the whole bloody mess he had somehow been entangled in.
Severus shot another distasteful look at his immediate surroundings, before he grabbed onto Harry's shoulder. 'I'm going to apparate us to Malfoy Manor now. If you stay still, this will go relatively painless.' Harry resisted the urge to gulp audibly at the faintly threatening sound of that and made sure to stay completely still. He had no idea what 'apparition' was, but assumed it had something to do with teleporting. Once again he cursed himself for not reading more about the magical world. After all, his one year at Hogwarts would have provided plenty of time for following Hermione's reading advice.
Just as Snape looked ready to depart, Uncle Vernon appeared in the doorway. Both parties froze as their eyes locked, but then Vernon's face grew an ugly shade of magenta at rapid speed and his already small eyes narrowed so as to form tiny slits in his round face.
'Boy! What is the meaning of this?! Why have your brought one of-of your kind into my house!?' he screamed. Harry winced slightly and Snape shot him a curious glance as he noticed the slight movement as he still had his hand on the boy's shoulder. Before Harry could answer, the potions master spoke up and saved him from having to confront his uncle.
'Mr Dursley, I presume?' the professor drawled. 'Mr Potter has been relocated to another house and will be living there from this point onwards. He will no longer be expected to spend any amount of time in your house from now on. Meaning, he won't bring any of 'his kind' into your house either.' The last sentence was spoken in the most icy tone the man could muster and both Harry and Vernon seemed to shrink a little, though Vernon more than Harry as the boy was used to this rather unfriendly treatment.
However, the fat man quickly regained his composure and a greedy glint appeared in his eyes. 'And what about the money?' he asked, the tone of his voice demanding. 'That headmaster of the school he goes to has been paying us to take care of him all these years. There is no way I'm going to just sit back and watch a rather nice income get snatched away from under my nose.'
His words hit Harry like a ton of bricks and he felt his knees grow week. What did he mean 'paying them'? Dumbledore had said they had taken him in of their own decision, however reluctantly. No one had mentioned anything about payment? The thought made him sick. He felt used, like a sack of potatoes dragged from one place to another. No one wanted him, the only reason why the Dursleys had let him stay in their home was because providing a roof over his head provided them with money. Though he certainly hadn't liked it in his aunt and uncle's home, he had always thought that they must've had a slight lingering feeling of responsibility for him, as he was Petunia's sister's son. But no, even that was a lie. How much could he believe, how much could he have faith was true?
Severus sensed how the boy seemed to sag under the pressure of the newly acquired knowledge. With a quick jerk with his hand, he pulled Harry upwards again as his knees seemed to have given out under him. 'Well, I can tell you that the headmaster has been deemed… unfit for further responsibility towards Mr Potter and that you can contact Lucius Malfoy if you have any matters you wish to discuss. However, you will probably rot in your grave before he will provide you with any money. I hardly believe you earned it, judging by how the boy looks.'
Harry grew slightly self-conscious and shuffled his feet. It was true that he was skinny and rather too short for his age, his relatives had preferred to keep him undernourished, as Vernon believed it would make him work harder. He was brought out of his musings when Snape tightened his hold on his shoulder and Harry suddenly felt like he was being squeezed through a tight tube. He landed rather inelegantly next to Snape and he quickly decided that he didn't like apparition very much. Quickly jumping to his feet, he looked around to see where he was and the sight that met him effectively silenced whatever he had been about to say.
They had landed on a lush green carpet, where beautifully detailed embroidery shone in silver silk thread. The room wasn't too large, it looked like a small living room or library. A huge fireplace occupied most of one wall, the three others were lined with bookshelves, only broken at one place by a door made of dark wood. The light from the fireplace gave the room a soft, warm glow and there was no other source of light. Just next to Harry was two deep armchairs, both dark leather, and a small coffee table was situated between them. However, his attention was quickly drawn towards the man standing in front of the door, both hands on a cane of black material and the head formed in the shape of a hissing snake. Malfoy Sr. looked at him with piercing grey eyes, but Harry was surprised to find no animosity in his stare.
"Welcome to Malfoy Manor, Mr Potter. I hope Severus wasn't too brusque when he came to accompany you?' the last bit was directed more at Snape than at Harry. The black-haired man sneered and looked away, causing Malfoy to sigh, though with a slight hum of amusement. It was obvious that the two were used to bantering like this and Harry felt strangely comforted by Malfoy's behaviour. Despite all of Ron's stories about the Malfoy family and also the rather unfriendly attention the youngest Malfoy had given him during their first year at Hogwarts, Harry couldn't help but feel strangely at home.
'No, Mr Malfoy, it was not too bad. Though I don't particularly like apparating' he added sheepishly. The Malfoy patriarch didn't smile, but a slight glimmer of amusement seemed to flicker in his grey eyes before they went back to looking slightly bored though attentive.
'If you would come this way' he said as he turned towards the door and held it open for his guests, 'we can find somewhere a bit more comfortable so that all questions you certainly must have can be answered.' Harry was puzzled as he couldn't see why this room wasn't comfortable enough, but he decided that to play along was his best choice at the moment, so he stepped out into the corridor on the other side of the door.
Lucius lead the way and Harry couldn't stop staring at the neatly lined row of portraits that hung on the wall. All of them had the same haughty look, but he noticed that several of them nodded approvingly, even friendly at Lucius and some nodded in acknowledgment at Snape. It made Harry think that beneath the cool façade, there was something a little warmer than what the Malfoys portrayed to the outside world. At last they reached a door not unlike the one they had gone out of minutes before and Lucius opened it and walked in. The room was, to Harry at least, glorious. Three great chandeliers lit up the massive space and the stone floor was covered in thick carpets. There was a fireplace in this room too, the fire burning merrily and lighting up two couches facing each other with a low table between them. On the other side of the room was a large dining table. Several vases of green plants stood along the walls, making the room look alive and they also added a touch of colour to the room, which was otherwise done in muted, dark colours – all white, black and grey.
The elder Malfoy directed Harry towards one of the couches and Snape and himself took a seat in the other one. The boy could feel himself sink into the seat and he almost had to stop himself from sighing out loud at just how comfortable it was. The Dursleys certainly didn't have anything this wonderful and Harry wondered if these seats were even comfier than the ones at Hogwarts, something he had deemed impossible up till than point.
'Well then, Mr Potter' Malfoy said as he leaned forward a little. 'Please ask me any questions you might have and I'll do my best to answer them.'
'Who was that house-elf that came to my uncle's house yesterday? He said he came from you, but he didn't tell me just what a house-elf is!' Harry blurted out, as this was the only thing he could think of at the spur of the moment. It seemed like the question took the other two by surprise, but it was quickly masked by indifferent expressions.
'Dobby is a house-elf, as you know. House-elves were originally high elves, but because of a treaty between them and us, all high elves that commit a crime are sentenced to serve a magical family. When they do, their magic is severely restricted, which causes their appearance to change rather drastically' Lucius' lip cured slightly, as if he found the thought itself highly offensive. 'They can still perform magic, though it is of a kind different from the one we use. That is why house-elves are able to, among other things, apparate in and out of places where witches and wizards are kept from entering by magical shields and spells.'
Harry frowned slightly as he considered what Lucius had just told him. "Sentenced to serve"? That was just a nicer way of saying the creatures were given to them as slaves. 'But is there no way for them to return to their own kind? I mean, it seems awfully strict to remove them from their families and race for life?' Harry tentatively asked, but he suspected the answer even before the other opened his mouth.
'That sort of thinking belongs to Dumbledore and his minions. The Light believes that everyone deserves a second chance, that every being is inherently good. They never learn from history, from past events which prove beyond doubt that sometimes, harsh measures must be taken, if nothing else but to set an example.' Lucius replied, he voice cold and hard, but Harry didn't think his anger was directed at him, but rather at the headmaster and his views.
'But is it truly necessary to force them to serve wizards for their entire lives?' he pleaded 'wouldn't an example be set by making them work for a few years and then they could go back?' Lucius shook his head and Snape snorted.
'That philosophy will make you end up being stabbed in the back by someone you deemed worthy of a second chance' the potions master growled. 'The world is simply more than just black or white, good or evil. People are complicated and so are magical creatures such as elves. They do things that would seem incomprehensible to others, but will make perfect sense to them at that particular moment. Don't rely on the fact that because you did something good, people will be good in return.'
Harry was at a loss for words. Everything he had been taught had revolved around that golden rule, but here these two men were telling him to see everything in a much more sceptical light. On one hand, he trusted Dumbledore, but on the other hand, he couldn't help but be suspicious of why the man had been deemed unfit as his guardian. Surely something quite bad must have happened for the Wizengamot to make that decision?
'I'm not sure I believe that, but answer my next question. Why was headmaster Dumbledore considered unfit as my guardian and why would you want that role?' Harry asked, but quickly added 'No offense, but your family don't strike me as the ones who would want to have anything to do with me.'
Lucius smiled at this and leant backwards against the couch. 'Dumbledore was revealed to be the fraud that we have been trying to show everyone he has been all along. He went to far in his attempt to abolish the traditions that have belonged to us since the beginning of our world.'
'The Light believes that house-elves should be freed and that the mixing of magical blood should be abolished. They also believe that the old way of only marrying a partner with a magical core that is suitable to your own, and that only after a suitably long courting period, is out-dated.' At Harry's expression, the potions master cut him off before he could say anything. 'To answer your obvious question; marrying someone with a core of similar strength to your own is absolutely necessary, as a weaker witch or wizard would be consumed by the other's magic. Before we realized this, several unions between witches and wizards ended tragically because they had not taken this into consideration. Again, the Light are completely ignoring the past, choosing to live after a misguided sense of everything being different now because we are in a different time than then.' The man's eyes were even darker than usual and he almost spat the words out.
'But what has that got to do with me being here?' Harry asked, as he recalled his original question. He instantly became suspicious when the two men looked at each other and both of them turned to him with a small grin on their faces.
'You are here because you need to be provided with a proper education, to be learned in everything that has to do with the Old Ways and the traditions of our people. There was no way you would gain this from further living with people associated with the Light and as such, my family and I have deemed it necessary to welcome you into our house and to provide you with all the knowledge you will need.'
Something in the man's voice made Harry's stomach twist into a nervous bundle. There was something the man didn't mention, something hidden beneath his words. 'The knowledge I will need? Need for what?' Harry inquired, though slightly dreading the answer.
The blond now moved forward again. 'The knowledge you will need to become the Dark Lord's husband.' he said and both Lucius and Snape looked at him with matching expressions that seemed to express just how lucky he was to be chosen for this purpose.
Harry blinked twice, tried to say something and then fainted.
Aww, poor Harry-kins... Can't be easy to know that you're facing a life of being trained to become the husband of the man who killed your parents! Hopefully, things will turn out good for our poor hero? You will only know if I get reviews! (Just kidding, I will never abandon a story once I've started it!)
I'll be working the coming week, but should be able to get some writing done so the next update will probably be up faster than this one!
