Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

Happy belated Easter everybody! :D (For those who celebrate it) Thank you to everybody who reviewed this story! You guys are such a wonderful support! You are the ones who push me forward and make me continue to write! Thank you! :D

To my guest reviewers:

Boblove321: Reading this story seems to not be conducive to a healthy long life for you. With that said, I did like the image of your little brother approaching the computer and you vaguely hiding the screen from him and saying you are reading about puppies and so on. :P And I think we both know what happened in the shower ;)

deby magid: I think that the fact that Harry doesn't wear glasses anymore and that he isn't a Gryffindor did help Severus to detach him for his father's image. And I think that Moody isn't crazy as such; he's more ruthless and apply the expression 'desperate times call for desperate measures' way too seriously.

ariana: The Dark Lord's regime isn't good or bad per se. It has made improvements on many levels (standards of education, corruption in the government, increased international trade, etc.), but has imposed strict policies and laws on other such as...limiting the freedom of press and of expression to a certain extent, official discrimination based on blood status in the Ministry's employment criteria, and all other sorts of things that Harry only vaguely knows about. We will see more of it in this chapter, you will see. Snape's position is as ambiguous and unknown as it was in the books. Concerning Hermione, I am not sure I understood exactly what you meant, but I will only say that she is now aware that Moody manipulated her to a certain extent and whether she chooses to continue with him, or to denounce herself, she won't be as naive as she used to be, at least.

FanFiction Lover: Could the three people able to manipulate the twins be Harry, Voldemort and Severus? Sorry for the Severus angst, by the way. He was just particularly emotional in that moment and will go back to his snarky self next time he appears, I assure you. ;)

lovely guest: I think that Severus will thread carefully and not try anything too rash. He's always been adept at justifying his actions and decisions to the Dark Lord, after all. Whatever he will do will be with Harry (and Lily) in mind, I'd say. Will Harry meet Hermione? They are both in completely separate situations at the moment, but maybe they will. It should be an interesting meeting ;)

Ashleigh: Thank you! I hope that you will like this chapter as well! :D

EmeraldEyed: Huzzah! Another one! Rejoice! ;)

Chapter 34: 18th of November 1997: OWLs

Two weeks of hard work, of cramming sessions with a Remus who seemed strangely distracted and of highly satisfying nights later, I was standing in front of a Ministry official of the Wizarding Examinations Authority in my best clothes (at least according to Draco who had ordered me by owl to wear them to impress the examiner), ready at last for tests I should have taken two years ago.

The Ministry official had to be sworn to secrecy before she could make me pass my examinations. The Dark Lord and Lucius had arranged it for me. If it wasn't that I hadn't even planned on taking those tests in my life, I would be incredibly grateful for the arrangement.

As it was, having OWLs would never be a negative thing, especially now that the Duel was mostly a moot point. I just had to forfeit. But I didn't want to, not yet at least. I suspected that repressed fears and insecurities were at the origin of my reluctance. There was still a part of me that thought the Dark Lord was playing a game with me. He hadn't hesitated to lie to me once, after all; It wouldn't be that surprising if he did it again. Just because I was his Horcrux didn't mean he was sincere in his affection.

The elderly witch in front of me cleared her throat to catch my attention. She was tiny and stooped, but looked very strict. Lucius had told me that she was the Head of the Examinations Authority and that she had been there for decades.

"My name is Griselda Marchbanks and I will be giving you your examinations in the next few days, Mister Potter...I must admit that I am surprised to see you here today, given that you are quite old for only passing your OWLs, and given who set up the appointment for these tests. Therefore, I'm afraid that, before we can start, I am obligated to ask you whether you are here on your own will," she asked with a grim voice and a stern face.

"Yes, I am," I replied seriously. It was an important question to ask, as the circumstances were unusual, to say the least. Not many people knew of my deal with the Dark Lord, after all.

"Very well, we will start with your Defence and Charms exam, both the practical and the theory today. Transfiguration and History will be tomorrow, Potions and Herbology the day after. Astronomy will be given at night in two days time. And...we will finish with Warding in three days as well. Is that right?" she asked me, looking up from her schedule to watch me closely.

I nodded. I didn't know if I felt nervous or not. It was my first official exam in my life, but Defence was my best subject and should be easy enough for me. I idly wondered if Marvolo hadn't set it first on purpose to put me at ease, before deciding that he probably hadn't spent that much effort on such an unimportant detail.

"Any questions before we begin?

-Yes, I was wondering whether you prefer me to perform the spells silently or to enunciate them," I asked her.

She lifted a grey eyebrow at my question.

"Non-verbal spells are part of the NEWTs curriculum. However, no point will be deducted if you use them in your OWLs. On the contrary, you might get bonus points if you succeed in casting the spells required non-verbally," she recited as if she was textbook.

I nodded, reassured. I had been doing my spells silently ever since I was fifteen. By now, it would nearly require more effort on my part to remember to enunciate them than simply casting non-verbally.

"We will start the practical part of your Defense examinations now, if you don't have any other questions?

-No, that's fine. Thank you," I answered, straightening up and taking my wand out, ready for what was coming.

.

o0o0o

What followed was the easiest test I had ever taken in my life. When the people at the Rebel Camp used to tell me that I was above NEWTs level in Defence, I had trouble believing them, thinking that they only wanted to encourage me. However, now, I could see what they meant. I was nearly yawning in boredom at the easy questions. Only politeness kept me from manifesting signs of it, but I could see that Madam Marchbanks realised how basic this was for me.

After a while, she asked:

"For bonus points, can you perform a Patronus charm for me?"

Does she think that was any more difficult than the rest? Why can't she give me someone to duel? That would be more interesting and interactive, at least, I thought, while lazily waving my wand, conjuring feelings of happiness.

It was easy, I just thought of the softness in Marvolo's eyes that he sometimes got when he looked at me. It always made me smile when I thought of it, even now, in front of the examiner.

What came out of my wand was a shock, however.

Instead of my usual Patronus, the proud stag, a deathly looking huge snake slithered from my wand unto the ground, hissing and searching around for a threat. A Basilisk. My Patronus had become a bloody Basilisk. I knew what a change in Patronus meant, but I refused to acknowledge it in front of the elderly lady. I'd probably crumble in a little ball and lose myself in deep dark thoughts if I did. This wasn't good. This really wasn't good for me...

The sound of someone clapping brought me out of my stupor. Madam Marchbanks looked delighted, if not a bit disturbed by the snake.

"Well, Mister Potter, that was quite impressive! I must say, if you know all your subjects as well as this one, you won't have much trouble with your OWLs; not at all, in fact!"

I shook my head in regret.

"I'm afraid, Madam, that Defense is by far my best subject," I confessed to her.

"Oh, well, it's alright, young man. I am sure that you will do fine regardless. Shall we move on to the theory exam, then?" she asked, directing me to a desk in a corner of the room.

The written exam was nearly as laughable as the practical one. I must have made a couple of grammar mistakes, though, and my hand was cramping badly toward the end. Writing had never been my forte, to be honest.

.

o0o0o

In the next few days, I breathed examinations and last-minute revisions. Since my Warding exam was last, I wasn't free to relax until it was completely over. I really didn't know what to expect of that exam. It wasn't a standard OWL examination, but an optional one recently introduced.

Since the subject was not taught at Hogwarts ("not yet, at least", had said Severus who had been trying to find an adequate teacher for years now), not a lot of students took it.

As it so happened, I had read enough of books in the last few months for my personal interest and played with wards often enough both with the Rebels and by myself, for the test to be quite easy.

My examiner for that subject was a redhead that made me think of the twins that owned the joke shop. His name was Bill Weasley and he was a lot younger than Madam Marchbanks. He also gave me strange looks at the beginning of the test. He must have recognised my name on his evaluation sheet. Thankfully, he had also been sworn to secrecy. He had soon relaxed, however, and became really animated when we started the practical and he saw that I knew what I was doing.

We ended up debating the best ward-breaking techniques on core of wards after the exam when I let it slip that I had played with the Ministry wards.

He gasped in surprise before frowning at me, as if he suddenly didn't know what to say.

"Euh...it was done with the authorisation of the Dark Lord," I explained, in case he still thought I was a Rebel that was planning something against the Ministry.

I thought that maybe this was part of why he felt so ill at ease at the beginning of the examination.

"What could possibly have made him show you the core of the Ministry wards?" he asked in an incredulous tone of voice.

"Ah, well, it was during the Ministry attack on Halloween, you know, and he needed the Anti-Apparition Wards down temporarily because the Floo network didn't work and everybody were stuck in the building..." I answered, trying to sum it up quickly to end the awkward moment.

I must not have done well, because Bill suddenly looked very ill at ease again, and perhaps a bit angry.

"So you helped him," he said in a flat voice.

"Of course I did, there were innocent people stuck in the Ministry! Children that were at the reception! What kind of monster would I be to stand aside and not do anything when I had the capacity to help?"

Bill clenched his fists and looked away from me.

"What kind of monsters would let injustice and blatant racism go without trying to change anything? What kind of monsters would Obliviate all Muggleborns, brainwash them to turn them into proper little Purebloods and still discriminate them because of their blood status?" he hissed through his clenched teeth before continuing in a barely audible voice. "What kind of monsters would kill an innocent boy barely out of Hogwarts just because he dared raise his voice against this wonderful regime?" he said vehemently.

I had a feeling he had forgotten my presence, or he probably wouldn't have said those things in front of me. Or maybe he did say them precisely because I was there.

"Why are you telling me this? Why are you trying to achieve? Are you not afraid that I would denounce you?" I questioned.

He huffed at my statement, but calmed down.

"You're too goody-two-shoes to denounce someone just because they expressed an opinion against this regime. Or at least, you used to be. But maybe, being surrounded by all those snakes changed you," he challenged, his eyes connecting with mine.

I frowned at him.

Have I ever met him? Does he know me personally? I wondered.

I didn't remember ever seeing him, however.

"I don't think I have changed. But I would report you if I thought you had anything to do with the Ministry attack," I warned him.

He shook his head negatively.

"We didn't. I didn't. Not everyone is as extreme as Moody is. But I'm part of a group called 'Equity for All'. It seeks equal rights for every sentient being; no matter your race or the purity of your blood...Did you know that Muggleborns in this world have a very limited range of jobs they can hold? And that they can never rise above a certain level in the Ministry, no matter their competence or the quality of their work? Did you know that they aren't even allowed to know their family names? They are nicknamed 'the nameless' unless a Pureblood family deigns to adopt them...We aren't doing anything illegal; we are just trying to change things so that everyone has the same chances. This regime is supposed to be big on equality between races, but it encourages a lot of prejudices to foster with its unfair laws," he pointed out, sounding more positive now that he was talking of his group.

I looked at him considerately. It didn't sound that bad of a movement. It sounded better than Moody's, anyway, and it seemed to bring up some of the points the Rebels were protesting against, but in a peaceful way. If such a movement could get official recognition, it could eventually lead to the implementation of a more democratic system.

"And what are you doing, concretely, for change?" I challenged him.

"Some of us are lawyers, or are studying to become attorneys and we are drafting up new regulations and defending the less fortunate in unfair trials. Others are raising funds for a charity designed to offer support to Muggleborns without patronage. We also try to make them reconnect with their origins by teaching them Muggle sciences and culture," he explained, enthusiasm now colouring his voice. What he just said made me a bit weary though.

"You are not...exposing our world to the Muggle one, right? Because that could be dangerous and I'm pretty sure the Dark Lord would chase you down and kill you personally if you did," I warned him carefully, thinking of the talk I had had with the Marvolo about the dangers of Muggle technology.

I wondered if I hadn't stumbled on something important. This group sounded nice, peaceful and promoting good values, but could they possibly be at the origin of the bomb that fell on the Ministry?

"Of course we aren't. We aren't responsible for the Bomb either. I know what you were thinking about. We are not a terrorist organisation; we are a peaceful and faceless, for the moment at least, opposition to the government. We'd get out there and be an official political party if we thought we could survive it, but the Dark Lord would probably shut us down if we did that," he explained.

I brought a hand up to stroke my chin in thought. This was interesting. Could it be the side I was searching for all this time? The one that would really represent my convictions? The Dark Lord had tried to shield me from most of the bad aspects of his regime, but really, I knew too much already to think that his government was perfect, or conform to my ideals. He would probably never allow it to become a democracy, but this movement looked like it was doing a world of good on its own.

"Anyway, Harry. You look like a good guy. You're just kinda stuck in a bad place. Don't let yourself become like those around you. If you're interested in meeting us, just give me a dring," he said with a friendly wink.

"A what?" I asked, puzzled.

"A dring. It's a Muggle expression," he said with a knowing smile.

I tried to think back on my experience in the Muggle world but couldn't remember such an word.

" 'Means call me. Here's the Floo address. We meet every Wednesday afternoon," he explained, handing me over a small card.

I took it without thinking and slipped it in my backpack, but I really didn't know what to do with it. It's not as if I could Floo call from the Dark Lord's Fortress. The man was probably paranoid enough to have his Floo system monitored and I knew that my comings and goings didn't escape him either. Not to mention that I wasn't sure what to think of this whole thing. It could quite easily be a trap.

"Err...I'll think about it, but don't expect me to come any soon. I don't know if I'm interested yet," I warned him.

"You'll keep that card, though? Just come by whenever you feel you need to take a break from all the gloominess. I'm taking a huge risk here; I hope you realise it. Don't go snitching on us, right?" he said, with another easy smile. He didn't look too worried. That alone made me concerned.

"Right, right. I'll keep it in mind. Err..Is that all? With the examination, I mean?" I asked absent-mindedly.

"Yeah, yeah, of course. You did brilliantly, by the way. I was quite impressed. Where did you find your info on the double twist-n-pull corner technique? I never saw that anywhere...

-Errr...the Magical Library? I don't remember the title of the book, though...It was kinda old, with yellow parchment and a dark blue jacket?" I answered tentatively. I wasn't about to tell him that I read it from a book in the Dark Lord's personal cathedral of a library, even if Bill did do a couple of allusions on the fact that I was 'living among snakes' or whatnot. I wondered how he knew all that stuff about me. It was a bit worrying, even if I didn't think he'd use it against me, or anything of the kind.

"Alright! I'll keep an eye open for that book, then. Goodbye, Harry. It was nice to meet you. I hope I'll see you soon at one of our meetings, ok?" he said with another relaxed wink and a friendly pat on my shoulder.

I followed him out of the examination room and started to head towards the Minister's Office. I had Flooed from there in the past days, since it was the only Floo fireplace with a permission to reach the Dark Lord's Fortress in the whole Ministry.

The other days, I had been too tired to give much notice to what was happening around me. Now that I only had one exam that day, and my final one at that, I was more lucid and was quite curious to observe the comings and goings around the Ministry.

Everybody was buzzing in and out of the offices in the Education Department. They looked very busy, even if it wasn't a traditional exam period.

I thought of Bill's words from earlier about the Muggleborns. Were they really that oppressed? I looked around, trying to spot Muggle elements in clothing, or hairstyle, or decorations. I didn't know much about those subjects, though, so the fact that I couldn't see any here didn't mean much. As far as I knew, that painting of a landscape could be Muggle...if one didn't take into account that there was a dragon lounging on the grass in the picture...Maybe not, then.

I really didn't know what to think of what Bill said. Or the Patronus thing. Don't think about it. Now is not the time. Wait until you're home again.

I had successfully managed to ignore the subject for the past few days, immersing myself into my studies and examinations, but I could feel the locked thoughts rattling inside of my mind.

I accelerated my walk. Madam Marchbanks had told me the previous day that my results would come in a few weeks. I didn't have anything to do here anymore.

I entered the elevator and pushed the button for the level on which the Minister's Office was situated. A dozen of paper planes were flying above my head. I looked at them with a certain fondness, remembering how I used that concept to transmit my information to the Ministry about the Rebels.

People came in and out, exiting at different levels and throwing me bored or curious glances.

I had made sure to hide my scar with Muggle makeup everyday before I came to the Ministry. I really didn't want to know how people would react if they recognised me.

.

o0o0o

When I arrived at Lucius' office, the secretary let me in without asking any questions. I didn't know who she thought I was, but she had seen me come and go for the past three days, so, by now, I guessed that she was used to my presence.

I arrived at the Lucius' door and knocked.

"Enter," I heard him say.

Inside, Crouch was there with him. They were probably in a meeting. Crouch's face lit up when he saw me. The Dark Lord was right; he was a bit obvious. I don't know how I didn't notice before. I guessed that the situation of being 'hit on' was too new for me to be able to recognise it.

"Hey Lucius, hello Mr. Crouch," I greeted them, the contrast in familiarity intentional.

Crouch got up from his seat energetically and came closer to me, his hand extended forward.

"Mister Potter! A real pleasure to see you again in a more...informal context," he said with a pleased smile.

This is the Minister's Office. Is it really that informal? I thought, frowning at him a bit.

"It's nice to see you again, Mister Crouch," I answered politely, not really knowing how to deal with him.

I threw a pleading glance to Lucius when I shook the other man's hand. He lifted an eyebrow in response. Damn him. I turned my attention back to Crouch.

"I'm afraid I simply cannot let you call me Mister Crouch any longer. It makes me feel so old, even compared to Lucius, which you call by his given name! There really isn't any reason for such a formality. Call me Barty, please," he said, smiling warmly at me before looking down at my hand, which he was still holding in his.

When he started to graze its back with his thumb, I pulled my hand sharply out of his grasp. That handshake had lasted way too long.

"Barty, then. Okay," I said, nodding, before turning to Lucius and widened my eyes at him significantly.

The man hadn't helped me at all. He lifted an eyebrow back at me again, probably meaning that he thought I could deal with it by myself. I sighed a bit. He was right. I should be able to, but how do you respond to that kind of stuff anyway? It wasn't as if I could tell him that I was already with the Dark Lord. The latter would probably throttle me if he knew that I had already threatened his plans for a 'grand reveal' by letting Lucius know of our relationship.

"Well, I have to go back to the Dark Lord's place. He'll want to know how this last exam went," I said, not addressing the elephant in the room.

"He did seem to look forward to the completion of your exams, probably because we are all anxious to start planning the raid on the rebel camp after all those years of unfruitful attempts," suggested Lucius in a conciliatory tone and a perfect poker face. Damn the man and his poise in all situations. Even Draco would have been better to deal with that sort of things than me.

"Ah, yes. We will see what he says about that, but I guess I'll see you in a few days to start the planning. Until then, Lucius, Barty," I said, sending a small smile at the Minister and a short nod to the other. No reason to encourage his strange interest, after all.

"One moment, Harry, if you please," requested Lucius as I was just about to grab a handful of Floo powder. I turned back to him, an eyebrow lifted in question.

"Have you taken up origami again?" asked Lucius cryptically.

I frowned at him. Origami? Folding paper to create different forms?

"No...Why did you think I would?" I asked back, puzzled.

Crouch laughed a bit nervously. He looked relieved at my answer.

Lucius turned to his desk and picked up two creased sheets of paper I hadn't noticed before. He gave them to me and I read them, growing more and more puzzled after each word.

The first one read:

"Do you crouch down like a tiger ready to pounce on a prey, or like a beggar searching for a haphazardly thrown Galleon in the dust of the roads?"

The allusion to Crouch's last name was obvious, as was the irreverent tone.

I took the second one, which seemed to share the same characteristics.

"Did you know that someone named a skeleton after you, Lucy? I can't decide if it is fitting an honour, or a humiliation worth your inflated ego. One thing is sure, if I were you, I'd watch that golden well-groomed mane of yours, lest I'd wake up to find it gone one day."

This sounded dangerously like a threat. Why the animal allusion though? Why compare Lucius to a lion? Lions are considered typical of Gryffindor... and in the Muggle world, they were considered as the 'king of the animals'. Was this message a threat against Lucius' position as a Minister?

"We received these two notes in the form of paper planes similar to those you used a few months ago. I must confess I opened mine without scanning it first because I thought it was from you. To say that I was surprised and not a bit infuriated when it literally blew up in my face is an understatement," explained Lucius, before Crouch continued.

"I received mine about a week ago, but I didn't think too much of it before I saw a similar one on Lucius' desk today. I didn't even know you had been the one behind the original paper planes, Harry. It was ingenious of you really. My Aurors managed to capture a few Rebels and protect the population better with the information you gave us then. I must thank you for the assistance provided. I confess that I had grown a bit disgruntled at our mysterious ally in the Rebellion after this 'plane' dumped a dung bomb on my head when I scanned it for curses. I am happy to learn that it wasn't your doing," confessed Crouch with a fond smile on his face.

I sent him back a half-smile uneasily before I looked down at the messages again.

"Any idea of what is stands for?" I asked them seriously.

They looked up simultaneously from the notes with twin expressions of puzzlement on their face.

"What do you mean? It is merely a childish impression of discontent against government figures, isn't it?" asked Lucius.

I shook my head at them, unimpressed.

"It's too peculiar for that. There are a lot of hidden elements in those messages. It's like a code you have to crack. The reference to animals, for instance, is the first thing that drew my attention. Both also refer to gold, and to an eventual loss of wealth, or of position. The lion losing its mane is like a king losing his crown..." I said before I got lost in my thoughts and hypothesis.

"Are you sure it's a code? I think they only aimed to humiliate us...Both Crouch and I received the message when we were in public and it made us lose our calm and collected appearance. Surely that was their goal?" suggested Lucius.

I shook my head in disagreement again.

"Whoever is sending that is in a delicate position. They want their messages to be generally interpreted as an insult to the government, so we can assume that they are primarily identified with the Rebellion. The use of the paper planes and the messages themselves suggest that, like I was, they are ready to communicate information with the Ministry is it can help people, but that they don't want their peers to know what they are doing. The pranks are a cover for something more serious. It would be too much trouble to enchant those planes and send them if it was just a joke," I reasoned, pausing slightly before continuing.

"I think that the surface message is insulting, the second layer is threatening, the third is a cautioning, the fourth is...unknown as of yet. You should try to decipher their fourth layer. Maybe other messages will come to give you more hints. Do you have people specialised in cryptography in the Ministry?" I asked them, since my skill in that particular discipline was quite limited.

They both frowned in consideration before Lucius concluded that he should get an Unspeakable on the task. I agreed and bid them goodbye again, after extracting a promise that they would tell me if things progressed on their side.

I Flooed back home.

.

When I arrived, the Dark Lord was siting in the entrance parlour, reading an old-looking book in a calm and elegant posture. He never sat there normally. It made me pretty sure that he was waiting for me to come back from my last exam. It made my heart warm and my face soften in a fond smile.

Then I remembered the Patronus.

I felt my face flame up in embarrassment and mortification. Before I could calm down and lock the thought away again, Marvolo looked up from his book and sent me a lecherous grin as a welcome.

I couldn't help but to smile in answer before my mind came to an unbidden conclusion:

Oh no. I think I'm in love with the Dark Lord...

.

So, OWLs, Bill, a new political side, Crouch again and mysteriously insulting paper planes..

Next chapter: Planning the raid on the Rebels and Harry gets in a fight!

Thank you in advance for reviewing!