Phew! So much has happened since last time! Ran my half-marathon last Saturday (finished in 1.53, so super pleased with that!) and also been busy visiting family coming over on vacation... But! This chapter is almost 2000 words longer than my usual AND Voldemort finally shows up *runs around in a hyperactive frenzy* Hope you all like it! I know I promised you all that the ball would be in this chapter, but I found that I have to sort of cut it in half. That way, Voldemort is introduced in this chapter and then next chapter can be more of a slow building of their relationship.

Anyway, remember that this is LVHP. Meaning: there will plenty of romance between our favourite dark lord and Harry (of the sexual kind!). Just wanted to point that out for one reviewer who seemed kind of upset that I made Harry have any other feelings than hate for Tom. This story won't work if they hate each other's guts.


Dumbledore was silently staring intently at the wall opposite his desk, which he was sitting at. The situation had certainly gone out of control and now he had to find out how to fix it. How the Wizengamot had found out that he had stolen money from the Potter faults, as well as paid the Dursleys to 'take care of' Harry, he had no idea. Regardless, the secret was out and now Harry had been transported within the secure walls of Malfoy Manor, a place not even he could enter at will.

Sighing dejectedly, Dumbledore leant back in his chair and briefly looked at the paintings of previous headmasters and mistresses. Some of them smiled at him while a few others scowled or even outright refused to as much as glance at him. They all knew, of course, from listening to the various conversations going on at locations where their portraits hung and which they frequented from time to time. Lately, the frames in his office had been curiously empty, most of the portraits choosing to gain more information elsewhere.

A knock on the door brought him out of his musings and two heads peeked out from behind it, one with startlingly red hair and the other one bushy brown.

"Ah, my dear children, come in, come in." he said, reverting again to his kind grandfatherly persona.

Hermione and Ron shuffled in, Hermione having to nudge Ron a little to make him move forward, and they both stood in front of the desk obviously a little unsure of where to begin. Deciding not the pressure them, Dumbledore picked up a little green box from the desk and offered it to them.

"A lemon drop?"

To his slight disappointment, they both shook their heads. 'A pity, sweets usually serve to make people loosen up a little, to make them more trusting.' Dumbledore thought, but Hermione soon broke the silence.

"We're worried about Harry, headmaster. There is just no way he can be safe at the Malfoy's, they'll probably make his life a living hell!" the girl said, desperation evident in her voice.

"Who knows, maybe they'll even take him to You-Know-Who as well" Ron interjected, seemingly terrified of the thought of the dark wizard.

Of course, Dumbledore knew that the two weren't as worried as they pretended to be. He knew that Harry had tried to get in contact with them, but that his two 'best friends' had decided not to write him back. He didn't know the reason, however, so he decided to get to the bottom of it.

"Has Harry tried to contact either of you after going to Malfoy Manor?" he asked, watching their reactions carefully. There was some shuffling of feet and both of them avoided his stare, but Hermione once again spoke up.

"Truth be told, headmaster, he did send me a letter right before being transported there, but I figured it would be wisest not to reply." After some hesitation, she added, "I don't think Harry will be the same person after living with the Malfoys and I know all the stories about Dark wizards. Harry will probably end up the same as them and we've both decided we don't want to have anything to do with such a person." At this, she glanced over at the Weasley boy as for support and he quickly nodded.

"Yeah, I mean, he was a nice guy last year, but all the hype around him has gone to his head. This will just make him even more self-centred and fuel his hero-complex." The blatant envy in the redhead's voice was hardly concealed.

Wheels suddenly spinning in his head again, Dumbledore silently watched the children in front of him. He could use these two, that much was obvious. With a cunning smile, which he hid in his long silver beard, he put his hands on the desk.

"I certainly share your worries, Miss Granger and Mr Weasley. But don't you worry, with your cooperation I'm sure Harry will be back to us just as he was." As he told them about his plan, or at least as much of it as he wanted them to know, their eyes grew wide and Hermione seemed to soak up every word while Ron still looked a little grumpy at having to once again associate with Harry Potter.


With a groan, Harry collapsed onto his bed. Lucius had made him read a huge collection of books on 'proper behaviour', as the man called it, and then he had questioned Harry intensively, which just ended up with Harry being frustrated at not getting the answers correct. Lucius had not been pleased and, after realizing they weren't getting anywhere, had let Harry return to his room. It was already ten in the morning, which meant that they had been studying for seven hours.

Snuggling into the covers, Harry's eyelids started to flutter shut and black lashes slowly concealed the emerald eyes of his, until the door slammed open with considerably more noise than Harry appreciated at the moment. Sitting up, ready to berate whoever it was that saw fit to disturb what would've been a wonderful sleep, Harry was stopped when Draco, the one who did the disturbing, cut him off.

"I just heard the news from my father." Without any more ado, the blond walked over to the slightly confused Harry and dragged him to his feet. "Also, my mother had returned from her trip. There is going to be brunch served in the dining room in five minutes and she wants you to be there."

Critically looking over Harry's clothes, Draco frowned at the choice of clothes, a pair of comfortable slacks and a white T-shirt, and clicked his tongue. "That will just not do. Come on." With that said, the older boy grabbed Harry's wrist and pulled him out into the corridor and into the adjacent room. The raven-haired boy had hardly any time to take in his surroundings, except noting that the room was painted in a nice light blue colour with all the furniture done in various shades of white and cream, before Draco had rummaged through a large wardrobe next to the bed and pulled out an armful of different pieces of clothing.

"Now, try these on. I want to see what looks best on you. Then mother has agreed to take us both shopping so that you can get something that actually fits you, a nice change, wouldn't you agree?" The boy didn't wait for a reply, but instead handed Harry what looked like a black button-down shirt and light grey trousers.

"Why do I need to change my clothes?" Harry protested and refused to accept the garments. "I'm perfectly comfortable as I am, thank you very much."

Draco at first looked surprised, then he rolled his eyes in a very demonstrative manner. "Listen, comfortable is all well and good, but now you're a member of the Malfoy family. It is expected of you to wear clothing that reflects your standing in society. Thus, slacks and T-shirts simply won't do. Mother would have a fit if she saw you like this!"

Now it was Harry's turn to roll his eyes. "And why would she care what I wear? It's not like I'm her son or anything!"

"Not biologically, no, but Lucius basically adopted you and you're now a ward of our family. I see you as my son, just as much as I do Draco." The soft voice from behind Harry made him spin around and find himself face to face with a tall, slender woman with blonde hair and startling blue eyes.

Narcissa smiled and walked over to Harry. "You don't have to believe me, but hopefully, by living in Malfoy Manor, you will come to see that we are not as cold as we pretend to be to people outside of these walls."

Harry was surprised at how gentle her voice was, as if she was talking to a young child who had hurt himself and had come to her for comfort. Something about her reminded him of Mrs Weasley, though she was in no way that bustling and mother-hen-like as the Weasley matriarch. It was strange how, just by the sound of her voice, Harry calmed down. He was used to the strict barking of his aunt Petunia or the well-meaning, but strict orders from Professor McGonagall. It felt strange, but oddly consoling to have someone say to him that she considered him a child of her own, though Harry didn't fully trust her in that regard. She hadn't even met him before, so how could she view him as her son, or even on equal standing as Draco? However, he didn't voice these suspicions and instead silently took the clothes Draco was holding in his hand and walked over to the bathroom door. Draco looked like he was going to say something about Harry being prudish, but a stern look from Narcissa made him close his mouth.

Ten minutes later, Harry had to admit Draco had a point about his fashion sense being non-existent. It was frankly shocking to him how much better Draco's clothes suited him than his own hand-me-downs. The trousers were tight, but just to the point where you could see the outline of his legs and the black shirt seemed to highlight his startlingly green eyes. A small smile appeared on his face as he noticed how his skinny, but nicely toned upper body seemed to fill out the shirt in a way that no other shirt he owned did. All in all, Harry felt fantastic and he opened the door to meet the critical eyes of Draco and Narcissa.

"Oh dear, you look wonderful!" the woman beamed at him and started pointing out how, if only they could get his unruly hair to behave, he would be one of the most attractive young people at the ball. Draco again rolled his eyes playfully at her antics, but made sure that she didn't see it.

"Yes, you look great, Harry! Now, come on! I'm hungry and father is probably getting annoyed at us being late for brunch!" Harry laughed at how frantic the other sounded, but nevertheless hurried after him downstairs and into the great dining room where Lucius was sitting in a nearby armchair reading 'The Daily Prophet'. As soon as the two boys entered, he folded the paper and put it beside him on a small table and rose to meet his wife, as she followed right behind Draco and Harry.

"'Cissa, how wonderful to see you again. It's not been quite the same here without you." Lucius said, barely loud enough for Harry to hear. Narcissa smiled and hugged her husband, before giving him a small kiss.

"It's lovely to be back, dear. Spain was wonderful, but home is where the heart is, isn't that how the saying goes?" Lucius didn't reply, but sent her an almost invisible little smile and, taking her hand, led her over to the table.

This was certainly nothing like Harry had expected the two dark wizards to behave. In his mind, they would be cold, haughty and cruel, nothing like the loving and undeniably happy couple he now watched talk about the things Narcissa had experienced while in Spain. It seemed like Draco noticed his surprise, as the blond just smiled at him and winked, as if to say 'I told you so'.

During the meal, Lucius and Narcissa continued talking together about the various things they had done since the last time they saw each other, ignoring him and Draco for the most part. Harry was kind of thankful for that, as he still felt quite confused. When Draco carefully folded his napkin and asked to leave the table, Harry immediately used the opportunity to escape somewhere where he could sit down and think about all this. However, that hope was short-lived as Lucius nodded, but added

"Yes, you may leave. However, I need you to teach Harry to dance, as I assume he doesn't know how and that will be a skill which is expected of him to know at the ball"

A small groan escaped Harry's lips and Lucius raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. Narcissa looked amused as Draco, once again, grabbed Harry's hand and headed for the door. "Come on then, I have a feeling this might take some time."

It certainly did. Two hours later, Harry was still frightfully bad at the waltz Draco had been trying to teach him. The raven-haired boy was currently sitting on the floor where he had ended up after tripping over his own feet.

"Come on, though you're absolutely horrible at this, I will not stand aside to see you make a complete fool of yourself at the ball" Draco chastised him, hands on his hips and slightly dishevelled hair from when Harry had managed to head-butt the blond.

"For Merlin's sake, you can see I obviously suck at this! Can't we take a break?" Harry pleaded and walked over to one of the chairs standing along the walls of the ballroom they were currently practicing in. Sitting down with obvious relief, Harry ignored Draco's protests and chose to take in his surroundings instead.

Draco had told him that this was the room they were going to be holding the ball in, as it was the largest ballroom in the manor. Though most of the house would be open to the guests, the ballroom would be the heart of the party and most socialising would be done here. The lofty ceiling and many large windows seemed to make the room even bigger than it already was and the walls were all done in an elegant cream colour. There were chairs positioned along the walls, so that tired dancers had somewhere to rest themselves before re-joining the party again.

The young Malfoy heir sat down in the chair next to him with a slight huff, folding his arms across his chest.

"Why was Narcissa being so nice to me?" Harry asked, accidentally voicing his thoughts. Draco looked surprised, but then a soft smile made his face light up a little.

"She told the truth earlier, you know. You being here has become more than just politics" assuming his regular haughty tone of voice, he added "and though I cannot understand what they see in you, my parents seem to have become to like you."

"Like me?" Harry asked questioningly, one eyebrow raised in disbelief. "They are just doing what Voldemort has told them to, which is to breed me into the perfect husband for him."

Draco sighed and rubbed his eyes, as if he was tired and didn't want to have this conversation. "Listen, I know that you have plenty of reasons to be mad at the Dark Lord, but his ideals and goals are actually really beneficial for the magical community." Seeing that Harry was about to deny this, he quickly cut him off. "Dumbledore has probably filled your head with all sorts of lies about how the Dark is going to wipe out all the muggles and make muggle born our slaves or whatnot. Seriously, that old codger has no limitations when it comes to manipulating the people around him to believe exactly what he tells them."

Harry was surprised at the level of animosity in the other boy's voice and he decided to find out just why Draco seemed so angry with the headmaster. Not that Harry wasn't mad at the man himself, but that was beside the point.

"Just what is it that Dumbledore has done that makes you, Snape and the rest of the pureblood society so up in arms? I certainly can see how he can be annoying" Draco let out an amused snort "but he can't be that bad, can he?"

The blond sent him an incredulous stare. "Harry, that man stole from you, placed you in a house where you were treated like shit and even paid those horrible muggles to do it! How can you still have any sort of trust in the man?"

"Well, it's either believing in him or believing in the guy who killed my parents, which caused me to have to move to the Dursleys in the first place." Harry retorted, the cynicism in his voice surprising even himself.

Draco's blue eyes filled with emotion. "Listen, I'm sorry to have brought the conversation on to this. But whether you believe me or not, the Dark Lord didn't intend to kill your parents. His goal was to inform them of his intentions of marrying you in the future. The fight that broke out was truly unfortunate and absolutely not intended to happen."

Harry felt his anger abate as he watched the other boy's expression. "Hey, I'm sorry too… Didn't mean to be so cynical, but my life has been turned upside down and all I believe to be true is suddenly a lie and vice versa. I'm sure you can understand how confusing that must be."

The Slytherin nodded and offered his hand to Harry. "Peace?"

With a grin, Harry shook it. "Peace."

Harry frantically pulled at the hems of his sleeves, trying to make his newly acquired dress robes to fit him better. Though they were faultless and the height of fashion, Harry couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable in them. It was like being forced into a role which he wasn't suited for. The robes were a deep green colour, almost black, with silver embroidery along the hems. The buttons were small and silver, and the narrow waist seemed to make him look taller and more elegant.

Once again, Harry went over the countless rules Lucius had tried to imprint in his mind. How to properly address the people at the ball, how to carry himself, how to not smile too much, but not too little either. And you shouldn't smile while dancing, Lucius had mentioned more than once, as if he was uncertain whether or not Harry would be capable of this. Some of the rules just seemed completely idiotic to him, for example the one about not standing with your back to the fireplace if someone else was standing close to it? Though he could see how it would be rude to someone flooing into the fireplace, only to be met with someone's ass, there would be no flooing to the ball. Because of safety precautions, as well as it being deemed more becoming, the guests would enter the manor through the front entrance where everyone could see them and where Lucius and Narcissa would greet them. Harry was supposed to be with either Lucius or Draco for the entire evening as the older Malfoy had made it clear that many of the people coming would be after a profitable connection to the Boy-Who-Lived.

Groaning as he thought of how absolutely exhausting it would be to try to fend off politicians who wanted his backing in the next election or over-zealous businessmen who wanted him to sell their products, Harry turned from the mirror and walked over to the windows. It was already dark outside, signalling that the ball would start soon. Placing a hand on the cold surface, Harry thoughtfully bit his lower lip when his thoughts returned to what had been occupying his mind for the last week. The main reason why he was so worried was that Voldemort would be coming tonight. For the first time, Harry would meet the man he was supposed to marry in five years time. It seemed so distant, and yet tonight would be the start of the courting period according to Lucius.

From his lessons, Harry had learnt that a marriage following the old traditions would be preceded by a long period where the couple would get to know each other. This was both so that the two parties would feel secure in each other's company, but also to give their magical cores the chance to fully get used to each other's presence and to start the preparations for the fuse that would happen when they finally made their vows.

With yet another frustrated sigh, Harry turned around to face the mirror again, making futile attempts to make his unruly black hair lie down properly. Draco had even tried to style it the way he usually kept it, slicked back, but that had proved to be a doomed attempt. Resigned to have his hair in the way it usually looked, Harry turned around when the sound of a door opening hit his ears.

"You ready, Harry?" Draco looked every bit the pureblood heir that he was. Blond hair was slicked back behind his ears and it shone in silvery flashes every time the light hit it. His blue eyes were highlighted by his robes, black with light blue embroidery, and the air surrounding the boy was unmistakably that of one who would grow up to become exactly what he wanted to. Harry couldn't help but envy him his confident stride as they headed towards Lucius' study together to receive the last instructions before the guests arrived.

Standing in front of the dark wooden doors to the study, Draco gave Harry a small encouraging smile before he knocked on the door. "Don't worry, it'll be fine. You did well during these past two weeks, I'm sure you have nothing to be concerned about." Harry only managed to make a slightly choked sound, not sounding particularly encouraged by the older boy's words. When given the permission to enter, Draco opened the door and they both stepped.

Both Lucius and Severus were standing in front of the lit fireplace and they turned to face the two boys as they came in. "Ah, there you both are. Now, do you remember your instructions?" Lucius said and Harry almost squirmed under the scrutinizing stares of the potions master and the pureblood wizard. However, he remembered the strict training he had undergone under the watch of both Narcissa and Lucius, so he remained stoic and straightened up a little to better face the two men.

"Yes, Mr Malfoy. I'm stay by your side until Voldemort appears. You are going to introduce us and he will decide how long the conversation is going to last. When we are done talking, I will stay with Draco until the dancing begins."

Lucius nodded and seemed pleased by the dark haired boy's answer. "That is correct. It will be expected of you to dance with the Dark Lord, so you should be paying attention to any sign he gives you when the signal for the dance to start is given."

Though the thought of having to wait for Voldemort's beck and call annoyed Harry immensely, he gave no outward sign of this. Instead, he gave the other man a curt nod and kept his mouth shut. Lucius didn't seem to mind and, with a slight nod to Snape, moved towards the door. "Well then, let's get going. The first guests should be arriving any minute now."


Harry wanted to bang his head against the nearest wall. He had been smiling and shaking people's hands for the last hour and he had quickly grown tired of the incessant staring, whispering and ingratiating flattery he had been victim to since the first guests had appeared. Well-dressed politicians and business wizards alike, they both tried to get him on their side, to use him in their own little social game of who had managed to get the Boy-Who-Lived to openly support them. For Merlin's sake, he had even almost been tricked into being betrothed to the daughter of a minister in the Department of International Magical Cooperation and only the quick intervention of Lucius had saved from that tricky situation.

One hour in and still no sign of Voldemort. Despite having sworn to himself that he truly didn't care whether the man showed up or not, Harry was growing impatient. 'And here I thought he considered oh, so important that we would meet tonight. Well, he sure is taking his sweet time then!' he thought sulkily as he for what felt like the hundredth time looked towards the open entrance door where guests still trickled in. Draco had disappeared to say hi to some of his friends from Slytherin, Blaise Zabini and Daphne Greengrass had arrived just ten minutes earlier together with their parents. Harry hadn't really wanted to join them, as he didn't know the two other students, but even that sounded more appealing than hovering next to Lucius to impatiently wait for the Dark Lord to make his entrance. However, Lucius had made it perfectly clear that he was to stay by his side until said dark wizard showed up.

Just as the raven-haired boy pondered whether or not to pull a prank on one of the ministers who had been particularly pushy earlier, Lucius stiffened slightly next to him and Harry looked in the direction that the aristocrat's eyes were directed.

A tall, black-haired man had just come through the entrance doors, expensive black robes billowing behind him to create a truly impressive effect. He had an air of self-confidence and power that seemed to draw several people's eyes to him like a magnet, but what truly captivated Harry was the ruby red eyes that seemed to flash in the light of the chandeliers. Voldemort, because it could be none other, made his way towards Lucius with a slight smile on his lips, playing the role of any other pureblood out for Lucius' good impression perfectly.

"Lucius, it has been too long. I'm sorry that I'm slightly late, but work got in the way I'm afraid." Lucius smiled back and shook the hand that was offered him.

"Truly it has been some time, Lord Riddle. I'm thrilled that you could make it tonight."

Harry's breath hitched in his throat when those red eyes were directed at him with a look of endless curiosity and… satisfaction? However, he had no more time to analyse the expression on the Dark Lord's face as the man spoke again.

"So this is young Harry Potter? I of course read about the dreadful situation that Dumbledore was responsible for and I'm pleased to see that you have taken it upon yourself, Lucius, to step in to bring the boy out of that fool's clutches."

Even while talking to the Malfoy patriarch, Voldemort's eyes were fixed on Harry, making the boy slightly uncomfortable. At last a pale hand with long, thin fingers was extended towards him.

"Nice to finally meet you in person, Harry Potter." The silky voice was nothing like how Harry had expected it to be, but he quickly hid his surprise and made to shake the hand offered to him. The moment their hands touched, a rush of magic seemed to travel up his arm and go through his entire being, as if the man's magic had somehow infiltrated Harry's own and become a part of him. Just as quickly as it had happened, the moment was over and Voldemort retracted his hand again and Harry was left feeling quite shaken. He watched the other wizard move towards Narcissa to greet her and Harry couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed that he could no longer feel the other man's magic. The feeling had been intoxicating and, despite feeling like he should avoid the red-eyed man at all costs, he wanted more.


Like it? Hate it? Have any ideas for the next chapter? Please tell me!

I got a lot of ideas for the etiquette stuff from SinoPrisca! She sent me this document called 'A Manual Of Etiquette With Hints On Politeness And Good Breeding' along with some other articles on the topic. If anyone of you are interested, PM me and I'll send you the documents!

I'll be going on vacation this Saturday, so I won't have internet. I will, however, bring my laptop so I should be able to get some writing done! So expect an update within the next two weeks (hopefully)!