[A/N: Thanks so much for reading my story so far, guys! I'm so happy that so many of you like it! I made an adjustment to the incantation of the Regeneration potion then in the books. I just realize that in the first chapter I wrote that Diana would take Prometheus to Hogwarts while in the later chapter, I wrote that she didn't take Prometheus. Oops, I apologize for the confusion. Diana didn't take Prometheus with her to Hogwarts. I don't know if I mentioned in any of the chapters if Christopher is a parseltongue or not but he isn't. As usual, the foreign languages in this story are translated from Google Translate so, please let me know if something seems off. And as always, please, comment, subscribe and favorite my story and stay tuned to my next chapter~!]
Chapter 6
"Girls, get up!" The Slytherin 6th year prefect yelled out when she stuck her head into the 1st year girl's dorm. "What..." The girls groaned out as they were suddenly waking up from their sleep. Well, most of them were pretending anyway. Diana and Hermione had come to the dorm room about an hour earlier, the other girls deep asleep as they slipped under their own covers. "What's going on Cynthia?" Diana asked, pretending to be groggy as she trudged out of the dorm with the rest of the girls, her hair was skillfully messed up to sell the story that she was there in her bed the entire time.
"I don't know. Head down to the common room. Professor Snape says its important." The prefect said. The girls did as they were told and they all filed into the common room to see that the boys were there too. The gang moved to sit next to each other on the couch as Severus came in, already changed into his usual clothing and the soft talking stopped immediately. "You all must be wondering why I called you out of bed. There has been an incident earlier. Something important has been stolen and Dumbledore wants it found. He'll be here with the other professors and they will be searching through your possessions." He drawled, his face sour.
There was a loud commotion as the students immediately started protesting against the idea. "He can't do that! That is invading our privacy!" One 7th year boy yelled out in outrage, earning nods from his peers. "I understand your concerns but if you weren't the one who stole this important item, you have nothing to fear." He stated as his eyes scanned over his students, his eyes stopping at Diana and gave her a tiny nod. "Has he checked any of the other houses yet?" Hermione asked, a frown on her face. Severus scoffed. "Apparently, he wants to check Slytherins first." The students grumbled at this.
The portal to the Slytherin dorm room swings open and Dumbledore followed by McGonagall and Flitwick came strolling in. "I apologize for making you all get up. I'm sure you all need your sleep. However, something has happened, and as I'm sure your Head of House has told you, I need to make sure that it is still in this school." Dumbledore said with a cheery smile, the complete opposite of what the students were feeling. "I suggest you hurry this up, Albus. My students and I are very tired and would like to go back to bed." Severus said crisply. "Of course, Severus."
Dumbledore said in a grandfatherly way. He motioned for the two professors to get on with the search, McGonagall went to girl's dorm and Flitwick went to boy's dorm. "My father will be hearing about this, Dumbledore." Draco sneered, his arms folded across his chest as he glared at the old man. Dumbledore just smiled, like he knew the blond was going to say that but won't affect him because what can Lucius do? He is in charge of this establishment and the Board of Governors can't do anything about it no matter how hard he tried. "My parents will too," Diana added in, staring coldly at the old man, irritated that his calm expression hadn't changed.
After a while, the two professors came out and gave Dumbledore a silent shake of their head. Dumbledore frowned slightly as if he was expecting for them to find something in one of the rooms. Diana smirked slightly. You're a dumb fool, Dumbledore. As if I would keep the stone in my room. Dumbledore plastered a grandfatherly smile as he silently motioned for the professors to follow him. "We'll let you all go back to sleep. Again, we apologize for disturbing your sleep." The portal door swung shut once they left, leaving the students to silence.
"Damn old man." The older students grumbled as they trudged back to their rooms. "You guys go back to sleep, I need to send a letter home," Draco said as he went towards his room to grab a roll of parchment and quill. "Make it as horrible as it possibly can," Diana said with an evil grin. Draco had an identical grin. "Of course, that's what I'm here for." Hermione, Daphne, and Pansy silently shook their head and walked back to their dorm. "Weirdos." They said in unison.
March, Wednesday
Dumbledore was sitting quietly in his office, signing documents for Merlin knows what with the previous headmaster/headmistress yakking away in the background when the door to his office swung open as Lucius and Stepan came storming in. "You have some nerve, Dumbledore," Stepan growled. "How dare you storm into my daughter's room and look through her possessions!" The portraits in the room were baffled by this and shouting their refusal to believe such 'slanderous' lies.
Dumbledore sat back in his chair and placed his folded hands on his chest, his expression calm as ever. "Mr. Ivanov, I assure you, it was within my right as the headmaster of this school to do impromptu searches of the students' rooms. Check with the members of the board. They will tell you the same thing." Dumbledore's calm demeanor was ticking off the two men.
"I checked with the Board of Governors, you old fool. None of them would agree with what you did." Lucius said in an icy voice, his gloved hand gripping his cane tightly. "Narcissa and I have half a mind to remove our son from this institution and enroll him in Beaubaxton for the next school year." Dumbledore paled slightly at this. Rumors will spread if two children from some of the top most influential pureblood families were to leave Hogwarts suddenly and the public would start questioning him.
Dumbledore was suddenly pulled out of his thoughts when Stepan slammed his hands down on his desk, glaring down at him. "Mark my words, Dumbledore. The next time I get an owl from my daughter about something similar to this, that will be the last time you will ever harass my daughter." The old man could hear the threat in his voice but he wasn't going to back down now. No one makes Albus Dumbledore back down.
Dumbledore leaned back in his chair with a fake somber expression on his face. "Gentlemen, please be reasonable. Don't make such hasty decisions. I only did that to rule out any of the students who could have stolen a prized possession." He said, trying to make his actions more justified to the eyes of the men. "And I assure you, Dumbledore, you will be receiving a letter from the Board of Governors," Lucius said coldly before placing a hand on Stepan's shoulder. "Poydem, nam luchshe vsego po puti." (R) (Come, we best be on our way.) The Russian reluctant followed the blond older male out of the office, leaving Dumbledore to deal with the confused paintings.
May, Thursday
"Aahh, last exam of the year." Daphne groaned out with a smile as the gang plopped down on the dining table in the Great Hall for dinner. They had just finished their Charms exam and were officially done for the rest of the school year. None of them looked too concerned with what their final grade was going to be since they knew they practically aced the exam. "Now we just have to wait for our grades to come in the mail," Draco stated, finally relaxing from all the studying they were doing. "As-tu déjà entendu quelque chose de ton père?" (F) (Have you heard anything from your father yet?) Theo asked as more and more students came filing in, just finished up with their exams as well.
Diana shook her head. "Non. Sévère a dit qu'il a peut-être trouvé quelque chose impliquant la pierre philosophale, mais il ne l'a pas encore confirmé." (F)(No. Severus said that he may have found something involving with the Philosopher's stone but he hasn't confirmed it yet.) She said with a soft sigh. "Je suis sûr qu'ils vont trouver quelque chose." (F) (I'm sure they will find something.) Pansy said as she gently patted her hand on the table. The rest had a vague idea of what the adults were doing but it was all a surprise for the Riddle children.
June 1st
A dimly lit chamber was filled to the brim with Death Eaters, a clear aisle down the center of the room, all of their attention on the large bubbling cauldron in the front of the room. Tonight was the night. Severus and Lucius stood at the front with Bellatrix standing off to the side, though no one wanted to tell her that their master didn't ask her to stand amongst the ones he wanted to see first. Their master requested that they would be the first person to greet him when he was revived. "Wormtail, bring him up." Lucius barked out to the open. A pitiful squeak could be heard from the very back of the room and a hunched form stepped out from the shadows, carrying a bundle in his arms.
Wormtail was shaking as he trudged to the front of the room, avoiding from looking down into the bundle in his arms, not wanting to look down at the deformed body of his master. With a shaking hand, he transferred the bundle into Severus' arm. "Hurry Severus, I've been without my proper body for far too long." A raspy voice said, causing some of the Death Eaters to shiver. "Yes, my lord," Severus said with a bow of his head before looking across at Lucius and gave him a silent nod of his head. The blonde male confirmed with a nod of his own as he pulled out his wand from his robe.
"Tonight, we have all gathered here to see our Lord come back to his rightful place in our world. May all of your enemies quiver at your feet." Lucius said in an almost theatrical way as he set up the mood of the situation. "Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son!" Lucius said as he pulled out an object wrapped in a white handkerchief from his robe pocket. With thin and nimble fingers, he unwrapped the handkerchief to reveal a human femur, still coated with mud from the grave it came from. Lucius dropped the bone into the boiling water, causing the water to bubble up more.
"Flesh of the servant, willingly sacrificed, you will revive your master," Lucius said as he drew out a sheathed knife from his pocket. This next part was crucial. In order for the regeneration potion to work, it needs a body part or an organ from a willing servant. Except neither Lucius or Severus wanted to give up their limb or organ even though they thought of Voldemort as a close friend. That's why they had Death Eaters on the lower ranks for a reason. "Wormtail." Lucius drawled as he motioned for the low-life to take the knife. Wormtail turned deathly pale once he realized what the blonde male was subtly trying to say. "I-I wouldn't. I'm not worthy of giving my flesh to the Drak Lord." He laughed nervously, beads of sweat forming on his blotchy pale face.
"You're what?! You're going to have this worthless scum sacrifice an arm for the Dark Lord?!" Bellatrix shrieked out, her face bright red with fury. "How dare you give the Dark Lord such filth! Our Lord deserves anything but the best and as the last member of the noble house of Black, I will be the one!" She said, making small steps towards her brother-in-law. Wormtail looked like he was agreeing with the deranged woman and was about to let her do whatever she pleased when Lucius cut him off. "Oh, I have no doubt about that, dear Bella, but Wormtail? Shouldn't you sacrifice your arm for our Lord? We all know how very little you have done for our cause and our Lord would be most displeased."
Wormtail's eyes widened slightly at this, despite the smirk on Lucius' face. His eyes shifted side to side while deep in thought before he gulped loudly and nods. "F-Fine...I'll does it." He said, reluctantly. "Good," Lucius said as he hastily placed the sheathed knife into the rat's hand, ignoring the obvious displeasure from Bellatrix. Wormtail unsheathed the small knife with shaky hands. He stuck out his left hand and held the knife tightly with the other. He looked deathly pale as more sweat appeared on his brow, his breathing labored as he willed himself the strength to carry out his next task. Wormtail repeated the line that Lucius had said before squeezing his eyes shut while lifting the knife high above his head.
The knife made a whooshing sound as it cut through the air before connecting with his arm. A low thud could be heard as his hand fell to the floor followed by a bellowing cry as Wormtail fell to the floor on his knees, cradling his bleeding arm as he whimpered in pain. Lucius bends down to pick the knife off the ground, using the handkerchief to wipe away the blood before storing the knife back into his robe. He had plenty of handkerchiefs at could afford to soil one or two of them. With his wand, Lucius levitated the offered limb and placed it into the bubbling cauldron, watching the liquid turn to a dark color. A putrid smell began emanating from the cauldron but none of the Death Eaters made a face.
"Blood of the children, lovingly taken, your body will return as it once was." Lucius then pulled out a small glass vial of Diana's and Christopher's mixed blood from his robe pocket. He uncorked it and slowly poured it into the dark liquid. Dark smoke was now rolling out of the cauldron as the liquid turned to a dark maroon color when the cauldron suddenly shattered into pieces.
The maroon colored liquid spilled onto the floor, causing the Death Eaters to scramble back to avoid touching it as a human shape formed from the liquid. Black smoke rolled down his form, pooling at his feet as a strong burnt blood stench filled the room. Everyone in the room stared in awe and nervousness as the naked form of Lord Voldemort stood in front of them. His youthfulness was most shocking especially for his followers, his black hair luscious as ever.
Lucius produced a black robe from nowhere and draped it over his shoulder. "Welcome back Tom." The blonde male said softly as the other Death Eaters got down on one knee and bowed their head. "We are forever your humble servant! Long live the Dark Lord!"
"My lord," Bellatrix said, her cheeks suspiciously flushed as she walked over to him and got down on her knee. "I've been waiting on hand and foot for your return, my Lord." She said as she looked up at Voldemort with admiring eyes before she reached out to gently take his hand and gently kissed his knuckle. A cold smile appeared on his lips. "I am pleased, Bella. Rise." He said and the woman staggered back up on her feet, face bright red from his compliment.
*~*~*~*:*~*~*~*
Diana raised an eyebrow when she saw both Stepan and Valentina waiting for her on the King's Cross platform when she stepped off the Hogwarts Express. Usually, it was Valentina who greeted her since Stepan worked at the Ministry and doesn't have time to leave his desk. "Chto ty zdes' delayesh', dyadya? Razve vy ne zanyaty v eto vremya?" (R) (What are you doing here, Uncle? Aren't you usually busy at this time?) Stepan had an amused pout on his face. "Chto, ya ne mogu priyti k odnoy iz moikh lyubimykh devushek?" (R) (What, I can't come see one of my favorite girls?) Diana grinned and gave both of the adults tight hugs.
"Prikhodite, vash brat zhdet nas doma. Krome togo, u nas yest' syurpriz dlya vas oboikh." (R) (Come, your brother is waiting for us at home. Plus, we have a surprise for the both of you.) Valentina said, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. Diana perked up slightly at the thought of a surprise. "Eto khoroshiy syurpriz?" (R) (Is it a good surprise?) Stepan chuckled as they walked towards the designated apparition point. "O, eto ochen' khoroshiy syurpriz." (R) (Oh, it's a very good surprise.)
*~*~*~*:*~*~*~*
The door to the study closed with a soft snap as Diana relayed everything that has happened since she had last seen her brother during the winter holidays to her brother as they sat comfortably on the couch. Christopher smirked evilly after she had explained the tasks the trio had to do while retrieving the Philosopher's stone. "And Dumbledore didn't notice the stone is missing?" Diana snickered at this.
"He did but he just doesn't know who took it. He tried scouring the entire school for it but ended up having the Board of Governors down his throat." The two laughed as they pictured the old man sitting at his desk, biting on his fingernails as he tried to think who could possibly take the stone while the possibility of getting sacked loomed over his head. A soft knock on the door disrupted their moment. "Come in," Christopher said as their attention turned to the wooden door.
Stepan peeked his head in as he opened the door, a strange smile on his face. "Your surprise is here." He said and opened the door all the way, stepped aside as if he was letting someone in. The two heard soft footsteps before a tall figure appeared around the door frame. Diana's eyes widened. She had looked at the face so many times but on the picture, Valentina and Stepan had provided for her and her brother. Never had she thought she would actually see that face in real life.
Tom Riddle looked exactly the same before that incident all those years ago, sporting the usual white dress shirt and black dress pants. The regeneration potion was a complete success though the possibility of his features of being the same as before was unknown. His red eyes filled with emotions as he spoke softly in a deep voice, watching his kids slowly stand up from his chair. "Diana...Christopher..." He never thought that he would be saying those two names ever again.
"Father..." Diana and Christopher whispered before they both ran towards the man, right into his open arms as they hugged him tightly. Their bodies shaking slightly as they took him in, soft sobs could be heard coming from Diana. Tom hid his face in their hair as silent tears ran down his cheek, willing himself to not cry. He had to be strong for his kids. None of them noticed that Stepan had left the room and silently closed the door. After a silent few minutes, the man took a deep breath as he pulled away from his kids. He got down on one knee to be eye level with them.
"You two have grown so much..." He whispered, his voice thick with emotion as he reached out to gently wipe the tears off of Diana's and Christopher's cheeks. "You'll be here to stay?" His daughter asked with a small voice, shattering Tom's already broken heart as he looked up at those green eyes flecked with red. "Yes, princess, I'll be here for a long time." His eyes then flickered to Christopher's eyes. "I'm never going to leave you two ever again. I promise you this." The two saw the promise in his eyes and silently nodded.
Diana and Christopher looked over at the door when it suddenly opened slowly accompanied by a soft hiss and something heavy slithering across the floor. They're eyes "Ah, Nagini. Done exploring the grounds?" Tom hissed softly in Parseltongue. The enormous snake bobbed its head as it slithered over to her master. "Is this the young mistress? My, has she grown." Nagini hissed as she wrapped herself around Tom, her slit eyes staring at Diana, who didn't waver. "Mmmm, she is a strong one." She hissed out in approval. "You were only a baby when you met her, Diana, but this is Nagini, my familiar." Diana bowed her head a little to the snake in respect which the snake gladly accept before moving over to Christopher and gently puffed him affectionately on the cheek.
"Mistress!" A small hiss could be heard as Prometheus slithered into the room. "There is a giant snake in the house! I can smell it!" He practically yelled as he slithered up her offered arm. Nagini had wrapped herself around Christopher's waist and was glaring daggers at Prometheus. "Ah, this must be the snake I gifted you on your birthday," Tom said as he gazed at the black snake curiously. Christopher scoffs as he affectionately petted Nagini on her head to calm her down. He didn't know Parseltongue but he wasn't the slightest bit afraid of snakes and had a slight inkling of what the little snake was hissing about. "Prometheus is a dramatic one. So much like his owner." Diana gave him a mocking glare while Nagini let out a hissing laugh.
*~*~*~*:*~*~*~*
Christopher and Diana have practically glued to their father's side the entire rest of the day. The man didn't seem to mind at all since he was comforted by their presence. "Tell me Severus, has Dumbledore figure out what has been going on?" Tom inquired to the potions master after dinner. They were sitting in front of the fireplace in the parlor room. Christopher and Diana had laid their heads on his lap, having long ago fallen asleep as the man gently ran his fingers through their hair. "No, Tom. I've been discreet during my meetings with him and he bought every word of it." The potions master said smoothly.
"Good. You are excused, Severus. We have a meeting tomorrow and I want everyone to attend." He said in a soft voice. "Very well Tom. Good night." Severus said with a slight bow of his head before heading out of the room to floo back to his own establishment after Tom mumbled a far well to him. A whooshing sound from the floo could be heard and all was silent. Tom looked down at his children, mesmerized about how each of them had a bit of Lily in their facial features. "Moy gospodin." (R) (My lord.)
Tom looked up to see Valentina had stepped into the room once she felt Severus leave the ward that surrounded the manor. "Prikhodite, syad'te." (R) (Come, have a seat.) He said, motioning for the woman sit down in an armchair. "Blagodaryu vas, milord." (R) (Thank you, my Lord.) She said as she gracefully sat down in the offered chair. Tom scoffed with amusement though he tried to act like he was annoyed.
"Vy tak zhe plokhi, kak vash muzh, Valentina. Vy oba yavlyayetes' odnim iz moikh samykh blizkikh druzey. Nachni nazyvat' menya Tom." (R) (You are just as bad as your husband, Valentina. You both are one of my closest friends. Start calling me Tom from now on.) The woman laughed softly at this and nodded. "Ochen' khorosho, Tom." (R) (Very well, Tom.) The two were silent for a little bit, enjoying the gentle heat coming from the fireplace. "Spasibo ... za vse eti gody zabotilis' o moikh detyakh." (R) (Thank you...for looking after my children all these years.)
Valentina looked over at the man, a soft smile on her lips. "Nam ne nuzhno blagodarit' nas, Tom. My lyubim ikh, kak oni byli nashimi." (R) (There is no need to thank us, Tom. We love them like they were our own.) Tom knew that to be true. "Vy oba khorosho vospitali ikh." (R) (You both of raised them well.) He said with a sigh, a deep regret that he couldn't come back sooner to see them grow up. "Teper' u vas yest' vozmozhnost'. Krome togo, vy byli by prekrasnym ottsom dlya nikh. Lili vsegda eto govorila." (R) (You have the opportunity now. Besides, you would have been a wonderful father to them. Lily always said this.)
A sad looked appeared in his eyes as Tom looked down at his children again. His children will never know what kind of woman their mother was. "Net. Yesli by oni byli vospitany mnoy, u nikh ne bylo by detstva, kotoroye oni imeli s soboy. Lili vsegda govorila, chto khochet, chtoby u nashikh detey bylo normal'noye detstvo. Odin napolnen smekhom i lyubov'yu. YA boyalsya, chto yesli by oni byli so mnoy, ikh by izbezhali emotsiy." (R) (No. If they were raised by me, they wouldn't have the childhood they had with you. Lily always said that she wanted our children to have a normal childhood. One filled with laughter and love. I feared that if they were with me, they would be avoided of emotions.) It was the honest truth. With having to deal with Lily's death as well as raising two children, he would have been cooped up in his room most of the time and most likely neglect his fatherly duties.
Valentina tutted and shook her head. "YA by ne poverila. Vy oba lyubili detey i Toma, vy sil'nyy chelovek. YA veryu, chto vy spravilis' by s etim." (R) (I wouldn't believe it. Both of you loved the children and Tom, you are a strong man. I believe you would have gotten through that.) Tom smiled softly, thankful that someone other than his wife, had faith that he was going to be a good father to his children.
June, Friday
The high-ceiling chamber was deathly silent except for an occasional hissing from two snakes. "This is most disappointing..." Tom hissed softly, his fingers lightly tapping against the arm of the throne chair which had expanded to fit him and his two children as Nagini and Prometheus lounged over their laps to take in their warmth.
The meeting had just started and the Dark Lord was not happy with his subordinates. Only those in his inner circle was safe, who are standing behind the throne chair, their masks off. Masked Death Eaters stood in a formation very much like in the muggle military. No one dared move a muscle as his red eyes scanned over their hidden faces.
Nagini suddenly reared up and whipped her head around to stare at the masked individuals and let out a vicious hiss, baring her teeth to them. Diana reached out to pat her gently to calm her down. "What's wrong, Nagini?" Diana asked in Parseltongue, causing those in the room to shiver at the sound. "I smell fear amongst one of them. They think you should have stayed in your weak form for all eternity, Master." She hissed out, her slit eyes staring at someone in the crowd. Tom reached out to gently stroked Nagini on the head, earning a satisfied hiss as she settled back down on their lap.
"An interesting development..." He said, his voice was soft, yet so cold that it could freeze the Anartica. "Come." He hissed out to his familiar, his arm stretched out to her and the large snake slithered up his arm to settle around his shoulder while her tail wrapped around his waist. To the shock of those masked, the Dark Lord stepped over to them. The army of Death Eater suddenly split into halves like the Red Sea and those standing at the beginning of the line forced themselves to not shiver as he walked by them.
"One of you is not happy upon my return," Tom said, eyeing each of his subordinates as he walked by, enjoying the underlying fear written in their eyes, no matter how well they think they are hiding their feelings. Nagini hissed softly, her slit eyes staring at each of them as her forked tongue flicked out, seemingly tasting the air for fear. "It's him, Master." She finally hissed out, her head pointing towards the direction of the first person standing in the second to last line. Said Death Eater twitched on the spot when he realized everyone was looking over at him, including that damn snake and the Dark Lord. He gulped loudly as he took small steps back, a hand raised up a little in a defense mode.
"Y-You must be mistaken, my Lord. I am forever your faithful servant. I would never think ill of you-" He said as he tried to plead his case but was suddenly cut when the Dark Lord made a slash in the air with his wand. The Death Eater grabbed his neck with shaking hands, a strange gurgling sound coming from him as blood trickled from between his fingers down the top of his hands, his mask disappearing with a puff of black smoke to reveal what he truly looked like. "How pathetic," Voldemort said with disinterest as he watches as the Death Eater crumpled to the floor, still gripping his neck as if he was desperately trying to stop the bleeding, coughing up blood as the red fluid filled up his lungs.
"You're not fit to be called my 'humble' servant." He sneered as he watched the Death Eater took his final breath before becoming still, his blood slowly pooling from under his body. "Come feast, Nagini. You too, Prometheus." He hissed out and the two snakes slide out of the throne chair and slithered their way to the freshly deceased corpse while the Dark lord tucked his wand back into his pocket. Diana and Christopher got up from the chair and walked over to their father. "Father, what was that spell?" Diana asked as she looked up at him.
Some deja vu. Tom thought as he looked down at his daughter's emerald and red-flecked eyes. "I will once you have mastered nonverbal spell, Princess." He mumbled softly, gently patted the top of her head. Diana pouted at this. "Why can't I learn it now?" She whined.
June, Saturday
The Ivanov Manor was extravagantly decorated as usual as party guests continue to arrive. A party to celebrate the return of the Lord Voldemort. Diana was in an A-line blush pink mini dress with appliqued laces, a pair of 1/2 inch black heels, and her hair was lightly curled and held back with a diamond floral barrette in a half up hairstyle. She stood there with Valentina, Stepan and Christopher, bored as they greeted the guests. Finally, the people she was could talk to started arriving. "Having fun there, Diana?" Pansy snickered.
"Shut up, Pans," Diana grumbled as Hermione and Daphne arrived at the same time, the last remaining two of her friends to come. "Let's go. Everyone one waiting for us." Diana said and excused herself from Valentina's and Stepan's presence, who was having too much fun talking to other adults to really notice, much to Christopher's annoyance since he still had to be there to greet the guest, as the pureblood rules demand. The three girls walked up the grand staircase and walked over to a large room which used as an upstairs 'playroom' as the adults would call it.
"Took you guys long enough," Theo grumbled once they walked into the room. "Hey, blame my mother. She had to try at least 50 dresses before she found the proper one." Pansy said with a roll of her eyes, just as annoyed as he was. Everyone sat down on the brown leather couches, all wonderfully dressed for the occasion and Diana caught everyone up on what has been happening since they had left school. "So how does it feel having your father back?" Draco asked after a bit. Diana shrugged her shoulders. "I don't feel anything different. It always felt like he always been around. I'm just glad that he is actually here in the flesh."
They then moved on to different topics when it finally fell on a topic Diana had never really thought about. "Have you thought about what your mark will look like yet?" Blaise asked. "To be honest with you, I haven't really thought of it. Ever since Father came back, Christopher and I have been spending most of the time trying to make up for lost time with him." She said truthfully. Pansy tutted softly as she pulled out a drawing pad and a special quill that substituted for those muggle art pencils. The short-haired girl was the artistic one out of the bunch. "Come on, you have at least an idea of what you have in mind, right?"
Diana simply nodded. "Come on then, tell me and I'll draw it out," Pansy said with a voice that bared no room for arguments. Not even Diana could get out of this now. "Fine," Diana said with a huff and divulged what ideas she had while the short-haired girl drew out several rough sketches of it. "Interesting idea..." Pansy said, slightly dying down as she made the final touches before turning the drawing pad to face Diana. "You mean something like this?"
Before the others could about to say anything, there was a knock on the door. "Come in," Diana called out, wondering who as at the door. The door opened and her father stepped in, causing everyone to stand up immediately. "Sir." They mumbled, bowing their head. Tom chuckled softly and waved them off, looking extra handsome with that black suit. "At ease. These must be the friends that Diana has told me so much about." The others seemed to blush at the thought that the Dark Lord knew about them. Their parents would have been so proud. "Besides, you all won't be following me once you all become of age. Diana will need followers of her own. Being her friends, I'm sure that won't be a problem?"
"No, sir." They all said in unison. They wouldn't dream of it. Never in a million years. Tom looked satisfied with that answer and smiled. "Come. Your parents are all waiting downstairs. The party is about to start. It certainly won't do for the main guest to be late to his own party."
Late June
The smell of burnt flesh filled the empty chamber that was made into a training room. "Eeww gross..." Pansy said as he covered her nose with her hand. "The hell, Blaise. Warn us the next time you use a nasty spell like that." She said in a huff as the other stopped practicing curses. They had all agreed that they would practice more advanced magic during the summer with the held of the Dark Lord and have taken to practicing on pig carcasses. "Interesting choice of spell, Mr. Zabini," Tom said, standing up from the throne chair. "And Miss. Parkinson, I suggest you get used to the spell. You will most likely see a lot of these kinds of things once you have been initiated."
July, Wednesday
Another Death Eater meeting was in session but no one was talking. Those attending the meeting were those in the Inner circle and Diana's gang. This was certainly a first. What did the Dark Lord want with the kids? No one didn't know what to do and decided to remain quiet until there was a soft rapid tapping against the granite table they were all sitting around. Diana smirked and started tapping away herself, hearing her father chuckle softly next to her. Only those who knew what was going on, holding back from laughing as they caught on what the kids were doing.
This went on for a couple more minutes of continuous light tapping on the table. Most of the parents were smiling at how much fun their children were having with each other, despite the fact that their behavior may be childish and completely rude. This repeated tapping annoyed Yaxley so much that he slammed his hand down on the table top, getting out of his chair, veins bulging in his forehead as he glared at the kids, his beady dark eyes filled with rage. "Stop that infuriating tapping!" Diana glared coldly at the man.
"I would shut up, if I were you, Yaxley. Grown-ups are talking." She sneered in a mocking tone, causing the other kids to snicker as well. "Why you little-" Yaxley's face turned beet red and looked like he wanted to punch her or something when Tom's voice stopped him. "I recommend you think really hard about what you are going to do next if I were you, Yaxley," Tom said coldly, his red eyes staring at the Death Eater as his slender fingers rapped against the wooden armrest of the armchair. "Y-Yes, sir," Yaxley growled out reluctantly as he sat back down in his chair.
*~*~*~*:*~*~*~*
Dark eyes stared into the mirror, staring into the gaunt-looking woman in the reflection. The once youthful and luscious skin was now pale and sunken in, and yet she still looked beautiful. The frizzy black hair had white streaks in it from the grueling times in Azkaban. Those thin lips hummed softly in tune as thin fingers pulled a comb through her wild hair. Bellatrix was in a good mood. Well, of course, who wouldn't be? Her beloved Dark Lord has come back and he still looked as handsome as he was before his supposed disappearance. Her black eyebrows furrowed slightly when she recalled the Dark Lord's wife.
Bellatrix has never seen this woman's face before and she suddenly disappears? She only assumed the mysterious lady has passed away since the baby and kid came back without its mother. Now, it was her chance. It was time to bring back the fame and glory the noble house of Black so rightfully deserve to its fullest potential. Bellatrix is the only one who can be with the Dark Lord. The only one.