Thanks to all of you who took the time to review my story :)
AN1: Thanks to Miette and dpstone12 who reviewed this chapter and pushed until it was as good as the other chapters :)
AN2: This chapter was supposed to be a Christmas present, instead it's a wish for the new year ! I hope you will all find hope, joy, love and good health in 2021 :)
"Why don't you let Drunek take care of this mess?"
Severus looked up in surprise from his review of Kyirong's past month monitoring of the Werewolves using the Lupacem.
"What do you mean?"
He Sensed his Familiar's sigh, mixed with frustration.
"You know very well what I mean. The Horcruxes. The Prophecy. The wrongness."
Severus refrained his own sigh. He knew that Dhaal had not been filled with enthusiasm by his first meeting with Lord Voldemort. The wrongness emitted by the Lord and the Marks were unnatural to the Thestral. The only reason he had not protested against Severus' plan much earlier was his agreement with the Death Eaters' initial purpose. But now that the group was thinking of kidnapping children…
"Do you think we're not capable?" asked Severus.
His Familiar snorted.
"I don't doubt your magical abilities. I doubt your capacity of reasoning when you are blinded by your admiration for someone who wants to kidnap children."
Severus felt a surge of anger at Dhaal's accusation, but pushed it down quickly. It would only prove his Familiar's point.
"What do you think will happen if I go to the Goblins?" replied Severus, making a great effort to keep his voice calm.
"They will solve the problem.," answered Dhaal, Sensing his certitude to Severus.
Severus let out a short, hard laugh.
"Indeed. They will solve the problem. What will be the cost for us?"
Dhaal jumped down from Severus' desk, his size increasing to reach his true height. He walked closer to Severus, stopping at arms' length, his head cocked on the side.
"You would be safe. Our family would be safe. The children born in July would be safe. Everything else is irrelevant."
"Is it?" retorted Severus, getting up to pace in front of the Thestral to try and reign in his annoyance. "What do you expect the Goblins to do? Destroy the Horcruxes then kill Lord Voldemort? Or just destroy the Horcruxes then see if he will recover or die on his own? Is this your brilliant plan?"
"As I said, your admiration for him blinds you," answered Dhaal. "Isn't it better to kill one man to keep all the others safe than take the risk of him hurting everyone you love? It's what you did with the mad Werewolf."
Severus shook his head.
"And what about the marked Death Eaters? We know the Marks allow an exchange of Magic between Lord Voldemort and the bearers of the Marks. I fear that destroying the Horcruxes will lead to Lord Voldemort unwillingly drawing Magic from the marked Death Eaters, even more so if the Goblins try to destroy him. I cannot risk Lucius, Jonathan, Evan and Regulus."
"You did not speak of this during your planning session with Augustus, Jonathan and Regulus," Sensed Dhaal, alarmed.
"I didn't want the others to panic," admitted Severus. "We're still in the early stages of the plan, with enough difficulties to deal with. And our goal is to reunite the Horcruxes with Lord Voldemort, so we don't have the same risk."
Dhaal tapped his right hove on the floor.
"I'm sure Drunek can come up with a way to remove the Mark."
"The Marks are incredibly complex, Dhaal. You know that Sensing is not that common even among Goblins. I'm not sure I would trust them with it. I certainly don't trust them not to decide that those Death Eaters chose to be marked and should suffer the consequence of their decision," replied Severus. "Dhaal, remember Bǎo. Goblin Politics are complicated, and I cannot trust Drunek to choose my family over his clan. Can you imagine what the death or the incapacitation of so many Heads of House and heirs could do to the Wizarding World? How it could impact the balance between our world and the other magical races?"
The Thestral whined, his wings fluttering with indecision.
"You could focus on the Marks, then. We'd go to them once you have a solution."
Severus smiled wryly at his Familiar.
"You have so much faith in me. As much as you don't like Lord Voldemort, you have to admit he's a brilliant Wizard. I will first need to understand how he created the Marks before working on removing them, and I'm not confident I can in only a few months."
"You don't need to remove them, only to find a way to prevent him from using his connexion to them while the Goblins deal with him. Once he's dead, his Magic will unravel and the Marks will disappear."
Severus shook his head vigorously.
"Dhaal, I can't! Even if by chance, I managed to find a way to block the Marks, you're asking me to pronounce his death sentence just because it would be easier! I can't let Lord Voldemort down. I—"
"He let you down first!" shrieked Dhaal, his frustration loud through their Bond. "He went beyond Magic's limit and twisted himself. He spread his wrongness onto your family. He turned away from the children. He's taking decisions without consulting you!"
"I know!" shouted back Severus. "But he doesn't know better. Nobody taught him about Khorlos and the dangers of Horcruxes. He doesn't realise that his actions are twisted by the wrongness inside himself, he doesn't even realise that he's twisted!"
"But why should you be the one to help him?"
His Familiar's question hung between them as Severus stared at him.
While Dhaal's concerns about the current situation were legitimate, he had thought that the Thestral at least understood why Severus was so invested in Lord Voldemort' rescue.
Severus pushed down the sudden wave of disappointment rising through his heart as he made himself consider the problem through his Familiar's eyes. On one hand, the plan to get Lord Voldemort back to himself still contained many gaps and uncertainties, with clear risks of Severus getting hurt if they did not find the answers to all their questions in time. On the other hand, Severus' Apprenticeship had well prepared him for those kinds of risks, and he owed Lord Voldemort to at least try to help him.
Severus took a sharp breath as he suddenly realised the reason for Dhaal's lack of understanding. Their first encounter had happened during Severus' Apprenticeship, just after Abraxas' death, when Severus had been surrounded by his Goblin family and had received many letters, evidences of his wizard family and friends' care for him. His Familiar had never met... Snivellus, the hated nickname coming unbidden to Severus' mind. This nickname was the symbol of his Hogwarts years, of his misery until his emancipation, only lightened by his friends, Abraxas, and Lord Voldemort.
"I don't think you understand how much I owe him," finally answered Severus. "I would not be half the person I am today without him."
"Don't you mean without Abraxas, Augustus and Drunek?" asked Dhaal, sceptical.
Severus shook his head.
"Without Lord Voldemort, I would not know any of them as I do today. He was the one who made it possible to implement the Mentorship."
"Wasn't it Abraxas' idea?" countered Dhaal.
"Yes, but after it was rejected by the Wizengamot, Lord Voldemort was the one who managed to unite all our group behind him to implement the Mentorship. He insisted on the importance of supporting Halfbloods and Muggleborns, no doubt because he is a Halfblood and knows exactly how hard it is to be respected in the Wizarding World when you have no connections and no knowledge of this world," explained Severus. "He… He knows how hard it can be at home, far away from Hogwarts. I only had the courage to threaten my father when he tried to kill Mother because I knew that he and Abraxas would help me if I contacted them."
Severus paused as Dhaal gently came close enough to rub his head against his chest. He put his arms around the Thestral's neck, using the contact to find the courage to speak.
"You don't know how hard it was, at home. And at Hogwarts. Dumbledore… He used the fact that I had no House to rely on. He never took my side against the Marauders. My father… never liked me. Mother said she loved me but she still chose to leave me in the end. Grandfather was not here either," whispered Severus softly. "Abraxas and Lord Voldemort were the first adults who considered that I was worthy to protect. I would never have dared to get emancipated and leave Hogwarts after my fifth year if I had not known they would be here if I needed them. Without the emancipation, I would not have gone to Gringotts and gotten the offer for my Apprenticeship. Without the emancipation, I would not have learnt of the Ritual, at least not so early. You might not exist."
Severus paused, stifling his surge of panic at the idea of not having Dhaal by his side. He took a step back, to look at his Familiar in the eyes.
"Lord Voldemort was also the first one with Abraxas to see brilliance in me. He predicted that I would be known by the end of my Apprenticeship. And the day of Lucius' wedding, he told me he would need my help when I came back from my Apprenticeship. To help balance the group. Do you see? How can I fail him when my Apprenticeship has given me the tools to help him? I was lucky to get an Apprenticeship with the Goblins where I learnt enough not to make the same mistakes as he did, but who knows what I could have done in the name of testing Magic's limits without this knowledge? During my fifth year, I used Occlumency to help me focus on my OWLs and to help me control my wand, because I was a wreck after Mother's death and the Werewolf disaster. I experimented with it, and I didn't notice when my system began doing more than it was supposed to. It got me into trouble with the Marauders and Lily. I…"
"You see yourself in him," Sensed Dhaal, transmitting warmth through their Bond. "And you think he sees himself in you."
Severus nodded wordlessly.
"I did not realise how much he had impacted your life," said his Familiar gravely.
He paced in front of Severus, debating with himself in silence before finally facing him.
"I agree not to go to the Goblins just now."
But I won't hesitate if I think you are in danger, was the unspoken thought.
"Thank you," Sensed Severus, putting all his gratitude for his Familiar's presence in his life through their Bond.
He sat back down in his armchair, smiling when Dhaal jumped into his arms, sized down to fit into Severus' arms.
"Tell me of your time at Hogwarts with Jonathan and Evan," asked Dhaal.
Severus obliged, using Occlumency and their Bond to share some of his happiest memories with his Familiar. They spent the entire evening lost in the past, and for once, it did not leave a bitter taste in Severus' mouth. Yet, he spent a sleepless night, thinking about Lord Voldemort.
In the morning, Severus had come to the decision that he needed to speak with him. He could not keep wondering if the Lord was already too far gone to save.
To his relief, the Lord immediately accepted to receive him that same afternoon. Dhaal agreed to let Severus go on his own on the condition that his Broer would call for help the moment he felt threatened.
Severus waited impatiently for the time of his visit to come, rehearsing every problem and the arguments he wanted to present to the Lord as well as listing the signs that might indicate that Lord Voldemort was so twisted he was beyond any help.
When the time came, he flow-travelled to Lord Voldemort's manor, named Nather Manor, located near Cardiff. There he was welcomed by a House-Elf, Dìleas, tastefully clothed in dark green and silver.
Severus strengthened his Occlumency shields as he followed Dìleas through the elegant corridor, observing the sober yet distinguished decorations of the manor and keeping his anxiety in check through Occlumency.
"Good afternoon, Severus," greeted Lord Voldemort, standing briefly from his green velvet armchair while the House-Elf left the room.
"Thank you for taking the time to see me, my Lord," answered Severus as he sat down in the identical armchair across from the man, all the while controlling his urge to fidget like a first year under Professor McGonagall's stern gaze. He could not lose his composure before they had even started to speak.
"Please Severus, it is my pleasure," answered the Lord with a smile. "I can scarcely believe that you've already been back for two months and we have not yet found the time to properly talk together."
"We have both been quite busy," agreed Severus. "I finally realised that there would always be another task waiting for me no matter the day or the hour, and that you would be Minister long before I found a free hour to seek you out if I did not change my priorities."
"I must admit you're saving me from the boredom of preparing yet another conference. Sometimes, I wish I could just go back to my experiments," said the Lord with a wistful smile.
The Lord's sentiment seemed surprisingly genuine, considering that if he was elected, he would not have much time for experiments during the next seven years. Severus was reminded of their conversation during Lucius' wedding, when the older man had expressed the desire to study Magic with Severus, and felt himself relax slightly.
They stopped speaking as Dìleas came back with tea and various petits-fours. He set a small table between their two seats, then put two small plates and cups on it next to the plate of treats.
"You may leave, Dìleas, I will serve my guest," ordered Lord Voldemort to his House-Elf.
The Elf bowed then disappeared silently.
"Abraxas confided several times that you had a sweet tooth, especially for chocolate macarons," said Lord Voldemort as he handed Severus a plate with chocolate macarons and a cup of tea. "I thought I would indulge you in his memory."
Severus felt a surge of warmth at the proof that the Lord cared for him beyond his usefulness for the cause.
"Thank you, my Lord. I first tasted them at the Procope, on the day I became Abraxas' mentoree, and I admit they have remained my weakness."
"Even you cannot be perfect, Severus," teased the Lord. "Personally, I am partial to tartes au citron meringuées."
Indeed, the Lord had several small lemon meringue pies on his own plate.
"I won't tell if you don't," promised Severus, barely believing he was bantering with Lord Voldemort when he had spent the night wondering if the man was too twisted to heal.
"I appreciate your discretion," answered the older man with false gravity. "Now tell me, Severus. What is so important that you required this tête-à-tête? You're not among those who would ask for a meeting only to remind me of their existence."
"I have several matters I wish to discuss with you," stated Severus, meeting his eyes calmly. "I do not wish to waste your time, even though I'm glad to be your pretext not to focus on your campaign for a few hours."
The Lord smiled, nodding at Severus to continue.
He steeled himself before resolutely forging on. Better to rip-off the Band-aid at once and see how the Lord would react to his first statement than beat around the bush uncomfortably.
"First, I would like to formalise something you have no doubt realised. My House Oath definitely prevents me from bearing your Mark."
The Lord leaned back against his armchair with a sigh.
"I had deduced as much from your motto. I realised it was the true reason your Familiar had prevented you from taking the Mark when you returned from your Apprenticeship. He already knew what your Oath to Magic would be, and that taking on my Mark would ruin your chance of creating your House."
Severus did not let his relief show at the Lord's easy acceptance, nor did he give a hint of his surprise at the man's reasoning. It underlined the Lord' belief in Magic's guidance, as Familiars could be seen as links between Magic and Wizards. He would never stop believing in Prophecies.
"My only regret is that I would have liked for you to be part of our family," continued the Lord. "I know you are a fervent member of the Death Eaters, and that you are devoted to the cause. You have proven it numerous times. However, the Marks create a feeling of belonging I had never experienced before, and I'm afraid you will one day feel left out," explained the Lord sombrely.
It was the perfect opening. If Severus was correctly gauging the Lord's state of mind.
"I already do," answered Severus, crossing his arms.
"Severus?" asked the Lord, taken aback.
"You're already excluding those who don't bear your Mark from the group, by making important decisions without us."
The Lord straightened with a sigh.
"We've already had this conversation during the last meeting, Severus. We were in the middle of a training session when we received the information that Wilton had been condemned to two months in Azkaban because of Lily Potter's using a muggle case as a parallel to convince the judge of his wrongdoing. As you imagine, the use of an analogy with a muggle case to convict one of our own disturbed many of us. It spurred a debate that led to the spontaneous decision to invade Lily's Potter's parents home. We decided that to make our message clear, we needed to act quickly and could not take the time to gather a full meeting. It was a coincidence that only marked Death Eaters were present."
"Do you really think it was a coincidence that only marked Death Eaters were present?" asked Severus pointedly.
The Lord put his empty plate and half-full cup back on the table, then settled back into his seat, hands joined under his chin as he considered Severus' words.
"It's a fact that the members of our group who don't bear my mark mostly are Heads of House or Wizards with a specific skill or major political influence whom we can't afford to lose. As such, they never go on raids, so they don't partake in the training sessions. What do you want me to understand, Severus?"
"The members present during the training session are not representative of our entire movement, as you can see from your previous description," explained Severus. "Because of this, you did not get to hear about other possibilities of retaliation as well as counter-arguments to your chosen solution."
"I see what you mean, Severus, but we also did not take the time to gather the entire group because this decision was pretty clear cut. Raiding Lily Potter's muggle parents' home was a reminder that Muggles' affairs are not to be mixed with our world and that Lily Potter was another proof that some Muggleborns will keep on trying to transform our world to make it like the muggle world, something only we can stop with our program," answered Lord Voldemort, firmly.
"Or it was a reminder, that we don't dare confront the pureblood Wizards who oppose us and choose to support Lily Potter's argument, like Prosecutor Bones or Judge Mainfield, and prefer preying on weak Muggles instead. Which backfired spectacularly as you sent a team of wet-behind-the-ears members who were not capable of handling mere Muggles, with one of them even getting caught," retorted Severus.
The Lord froze, his expression so cold that Severus wondered if he had misjudged and gone too far. He had come to reassure himself that the Lord was not beyond his help, but he might end up alienating him if he showed too much disagreement with the group's decisions.
Several seconds passed in silence, before the older man blinked and relaxed in his seat.
"I… am not happy with what I'm hearing, Severus. I don't like being wrong, and I seldom am," said Lord Voldemort. "However, you make a compelling argument that I had not considered. We… may have made a mistake. I don't understand why we didn't think of this."
Severus squeezed his relief behind his Occlumency shields and kept his voice level as he spoke.
"Many of the marked Death Eaters are so in awe of you that they will never believe that you have not considered every angle of a situation or that you may have overlooked something. Others are so set against Muggles that they will use any pretext to punish them, as you well know."
Lord Voldemort nodded.
"The Mulcibers have a long memory."
"You asked for my help several years ago, to help balance the group," said Severus. "I can only help if I'm present to do so."
The Lord fixed him for a long time before smiling wryly.
"I sometimes forget that I'm only human, and so do you, Severus. And I am too used to relying solely on myself, something you know well, I believe."
Severus offered him a small smile in return.
"I do. But I try to improve."
"So will I," agreed the Lord. "Thank you for bringing this up to my attention."
Severus nodded slightly. So far, the man was not showing any sign of paranoia or thoughtless anger that were often associated with Pahuu. Helhest, let his faith in the man not be misplaced. Let him end this tête-à-tête without any suspicious missteps.
He froze as the Lord let out a sudden laugh.
"Well, this explains your unusual display of temper during the last meeting far better than Oliver's convoluted love-sick-about-Lady Potter theory."
Severus kept his face impassive as thoughts ran through his mind. He thought he had been quite restrained when complaining about the raid, but it seemed it had not prevented Mulciber to try and undermine Severus' status with Lord Voldemort.
"Love-sick theory, my Lord?" questioned Severus.
"Yes, Oliver thinks that you've never gotten over Lady Potter. He said that you would come back to her side in a heartbeat if she so much as batted her lashes in your direction," explained the Lord with a glint in his eyes that Severus had no idea how to interpret.
"I assure you I have not seen Lily since I left Hogwarts," stated Severus, relieved when his voice did not waver despite his fast-beating heart.
"That's what I said to Oliver. From what I heard, she left you time and time again, she definitely broke your friendship because of a poorly chosen insult when you had been friends long before coming to Hogwarts. Why would you still be hung up on her?"
"Exactly," agreed Severus, feeling himself calm down. "My Lord, I'm relieved you're relying on facts and not groundless theories."
Presented this way, no one would ever suspect he would become pen-pal with her older sister, and even tentatively mend their friendship through letters.
The Lord shook his head lightly.
"I don't know why I even considered his theory. But he was so insistent you still had hope to win her back from the Potter heir. He's convinced you only created your own House to gain the same status as James Potter."
That glint was back in the Lord's eyes and Severus felt a shiver go down his spine. Despite his words, he felt that Lord Voldemort had bought into Mulciber's theory enough to believe that Lily was a crack in Severus' loyalty to the group.
He forced himself to laugh lightly.
"I must say this is worthy of the Daily Prophet romance story sheets. To be obsessed by a woman to the point that any achievements in your life are just ploys to get closer to her,... It seems a less than fulfilling existence. Also, people don't realise how draining the ritual for New House creation is. Do you know that the Goblins only announce a New House the day after the ritual because 10% of those who are successful die before the next morning ? Creating a New House only for the sake of matching James Potter would be… insane."
"I completely agree, Severus, but I know many young people are quite taken with those romance stories these days. Your many accomplishments often let us forget that you're only twenty. You must admit that you did not help your case when you stopped attending most parties after making several girls cry."
Severus almost rolled his eyes.
"Those girls' only goal was to marry well, as soon as possible, so that they would never have to work a day in their life. Plus, I have so much to do I don't have the time to be interested in a relationship and I'm far too young to even think about marriage."
"Hear, hear," said the Lord as he held up his cup in a toast. "It would be a shame to stunt your magical and social growth because you married too early."
Severus let a sigh of relief escape him as he noticed the Lord relax. He was right, the Lord had been worried about who owned his loyalty. Was it part of the man's character, a sign of the Marks' influence, or the shadow of the wrongness spreading through the Lord?
"Back to my initial question. Do you think this will be enough for you not to one day feel excluded from the main group?" asked the Lord, drawing Severus' attention back to their conversation.
"Jonathan and Evan were most enthusiastic in their letters after getting their Mark, and I must say I was curious to see what it meant first-hand as letters can never convey the truth of such intangible Magic," admitted Severus, carefully choosing his words to speak only the truth.
"I cannot bear your Mark, but my closest family and friends do. I don't believe I will ever be left out."
"Quite true, Severus," said the Lord with a smile.
"This is another concern I wanted to raise with you," added Severus. "Once you are elected, the Death Eaters will have no more reasons to exist. As such, the Marks won't be necessary anymore. As you told me, I am aware that many take comfort from the link it creates between all of the marked Death Eaters and would like to keep it forever. However, I am worried that it will prevent them from reaching their full potential when we will need all of us at our best to implement Slytherin's rules under your guidance. I would not have been accepted in my Apprenticeship if I had been marked. I would not have been able to create my House if I had been marked."
The Lord nodded slowly, though Severus was unable to guess if it was a sign of agreement or intense reflection.
"As always, you don't shy away from uncomfortable truths, Severus. I'm afraid that while I was the one to imagine the Mark, I won't be able to remove them without the consent of their bearers. The Marks have become a rallying symbol, I don't know if they will accept to remove them."
"They will if you ask them," answered Severus earnestly. "You have been our leader since you managed to unite all the factions into one movement. With your guidance, they will accept letting go of the Marks if it means they can best support you another way."
The Lord shook his head.
"You are surprisingly optimistic, Severus. You and I are exceptions. We rely on ourselves first. We know the strength of the group, but we also know that the group will only be strong if none of its members is weak. We are always willing to search for improvement, to learn and explore Magic's possibilities. Most are either lazier or less willing to leave the comfort of their knowledge. At the beginning, the Marks were only supposed to help us communicate as well as allow us to quickly locate members in distress, but ever since Abraxas' death, they have created a kind of informal House that most members will be loath to give up."
The Lord paused, lost in thoughts.
Severus took the opportunity to study the man with his eyes and Sense, though he carefully avoided any brush against the Lord's Sensing shield. He looked less regal than during the meetings, reminding Severus more of the Lord he had spoken with during Lucius' wedding. He did not know if this aspect of the Lord was one only Severus got to see, or if it was the Lord's private persona.
The wrongness remained as present as ever, but its intensity was less aggressive than during meetings, furthering Severus' intuition that the Marks' wrongness fuelled each other. They were part of the problem but Severus knew he had no argument to convince the Lord to remove them before the election. Blocking them was becoming a priority alongside the gathering of the Horcruxes.
Lord Voldemort's next words surprised Severus.
"I told you before that we were a rarity. Halfbloods with more understanding of Magic than most Purebloods, with the desire to explore Magic and make her world our own. I find it truer with each passing day, each time you demonstrate that I was right to believe in you. I confess, if I did not already belong to House Slytherin, I would wish for your motto to be mine."
Severus felt his blush rise to his cheeks, no matter his attempt to control it.
"I am honoured, my Lord."
"You should call me Marvolo. This formality makes no sense between the two of us."
He laughed at Severus' stunned expression.
"When we are in private, of course."
"My Lord… Marvolo. Thank you."
He was pretty sure the Lord had just made an important show of trust. How many Death Eaters, aside Abraxas and Lady Greengrass, knew that he was a Halfblood and were privileged to know his first name? Thought, hadn't Augustus said that the Lord's first name was Tom? Was Marvolo a name he had chosen for himself?
The man seemed to read his thoughts, even though Severus knew with certainty he had not used Occlumency on him.
"It's nothing to thank me for, Severus. Marvolo is my magical name, the one my mother gave me and that I made into my own, though Dumbledore always insisted on calling me by my muggle name. It was the same as my father's, and I have no doubt he knew how much I despised it."
"Dumbledore was already biased against Slytherins?" asked Severus, already knowing the answer.
"The old man has always detested Slytherins, though he was less obvious in that time as he only was the Transfiguration professor," explained Lord—Marvolo. "He was the one who brought me my Hogwarts letters at the orphanage. He was quite nice, truly."
"Until you were sorted into Slytherin," stated Severus bitterly.
The older man closed his eyes briefly.
"You know Dumbledore. He spent many hours watching me. I suspect that he remained in the castle during the holidays because I did too. As you imagine, once I escaped the orphanage, I was in no hurry to go back."
Severus understood all too well. He had been lucky to at least have Mother, even if she had left him in the end.
"Despite Dumbledore's constant surveillance, Hogwarts became my home, thanks to Slytherin's rules. Of course, I was unable to remain in the Wizarding World during the summer because of that stupid agreement between Muggles and Wizards, and I had to go back to the orphanage every year. Until one of my friends invited me to his house for the summer."
Severus nodded. Some in the other Houses believed that Slytherins were unable to have friends, that they only cultivated relationships with those who could help them in their quest to dominate the world. The truth was that while many Slytherins cultivated useful acquaintances, most possessed a small but tight group of friends they could rely on. Jonathan, Evan and Severus had been one group among many.
He wondered who had been the Lord's closest friends at the time. He had no obvious close friends in the group. Though he might have thought of Abraxas, Augustus and Lady Greengrass as such before his Horcruxes and the Marks had driven him towards Bellatrix and Mulciber.
"Sadly, I lost contact with all my friends when I left Britain to explore the world and Magic's wonders, even my two closest ones," added Marvolo wistfully. "I was so enthralled with my discoveries that I failed to nurture our relationships. When I came back, I learnt that they had both left for the United States. They suggested that I join them, but to abandon Britain and Slytherin was impossible."
"It must have been hard to come back and find them gone," said Severus.
He was surprised that the Lord had not remained closer to his friends when he had no other family. Though he understood how one could easily get lost in Magic research and discoveries.
Marvolo closed his eyes briefly.
"All friendships do not survive distance and it's a testament to your character that Mister Wilkes, Mister Rosier and yourself remained as close today as in your school days."
"We became friends thanks to Slytherin's third rule," admitted Severus. "I am grateful for his rules everyday."
Marvolo nodded with a knowing smile.
"So am I. I shudder at the idea of being sorted into a House without these rules. Imagine how lost Muggleborns and Halfbloods must be."
"And even some Purebloods who do not descend from the oldest Houses," added Severus thinking of Pettigrew.
"True," agreed Marvolo. "But none as much as the Halfbloods who live in the muggle world, like you did. When I first came to Hogwarts, I believed I was a Muggleborn, as did everyone else. The Professor who took me to Diagon alley recommended books so I could learn about the wizarding world. They don't do the same with Halfbloods who live in the muggle word, which is stupid, but we will rectify this situation soon. Anyway, as an orphan, I was curious to learn about my parents. I cast the genealogy spell as soon as I could learn it. Imagine my surprise and my delight when I learnt I was Slytherin's last heir through my mother's line!"
Severus imagined quite well how the young Marvolo must have seized on this part of his inheritance to forget the fact that despite discovering that he was a Halfblood, the wizard half of his family was dead. From their previous conversation, he suspected that Lord Voldemort had met his father at one time in his life and found him wanting.
Having no desire to bring forth painful old feelings, especially as he was enjoying the reprieve from the nerve-racking beginning of their conversation, Severus asked the next obvious question.
"Why did you wait so long to try and unite Slytherin? Others must have proposed to rally behind you when you proclaimed yourself Slytherin's heir."
Marvolo lowered his eyes.
"I did not tell anyone back then. You must understand, Severus, that the situation was already complicated for Slytherins. Grindelwald was trying to take over Muggles and establish himself as their wizard Lord. All newspapers described him as a Slytherin. To claim to be Slytherin's heir, when Dumbledore already considered me as the next Grindelwald, would have been too much of a risk."
He looked up to face Severus.
"I was also young and selfish. I wanted to build myself, to learn and discover Magic I had never imagined, before entering politics. I knew that I would have no more time for experiments once I walked that path. And I had no doubt I would walk that path one day."
"How did you know?" asked Severus, curious. "You make it sound like you would rather be doing research than becoming Minister of Magic."
Marvolo laughed briefly.
"When I was young, I knew I wanted the power to change our world, to spread Slytherin's rules, and to enter our world's History. However, I did not want the tediousness of the work it required. So I gave myself time. I travelled over the world, especially in Eastern Europe and North Africa, to learn Magic. To witness impossible feats. And when I felt I had learnt what I needed, when I felt that Slytherins were ready to change, I came back. The work is as tedious as I thought it would be, but much more gratifying than I thought it would be. I only need to look at you to remember why my work is important."
"I would not be who I am today without the Mentorship," agreed Severus. "But I wonder, leaving to travel the world was a gamble, how did you know that another would not be chosen to be our leader?"
He knew he was pushing his luck. The Lord seemed to have answered with refreshing honesty all along, and Severus felt that the more he learnt about him, the better he would understand him and be able to help him. Yet, Slytherins seldom offered private information for free. Unless it helped them reach their goal.
Severus suppressed a smile as he realised that Marvolo was trying to make amends for the raid. To make Severus feel like part of the family.
Lord Voldemort fixed Severus with a suddenly piercing stare, though he looked amused.
"There was no one else. Slytherin was already divided when I entered Hogwarts. When I came back, each slytherin school of thought had realised that they could not hope to oppose Birkins and Dumbledore on their own, however, they had failed to reach a compromise that would allow them to work together. I spoke with each of them, and with the help of Augustus, Abraxas and Eleanor, I united them around myself."
He smiled wryly.
"You may call me vain, but I'm persuaded that they needed me because I was an outsider. I had left Britain for almost twenty years. I had no visible roots to the old Houses, no old feud to claim."
Severus nodded. Slytherin's rules did not mean the old Houses held no rancour towards each other. According to Evan, most of them clung to their feud even when they had forgotten their origin, like between the Malfoy and the Weasley Houses. Lucius' only explanation always was that "they were Weasleys". Severus supposed that the fact that Weasleys were as certain of being sorted in Gryffindor than Malfoys were of becoming Slytherins did not help.
"I will also admit that I've believed I was destined for greatness ever since I've discovered my relation to Slytherin and his House's true motto."
"Do you mean Slytherin's motto is not Power, Blood and Magic creates singularity?" asked Severus, excited.
The Founders' mottos were a source of great questioning and debate among wizard historians. As Narcissa had once demonstrated to Severus, the motto of the most ancient Houses had evolved through the centuries until their meaning had been distorted. A consensus had been reached over the Founders' mottos at the beginning of the twentieth century, yet some historians kept on calling them into question every few decades.
"Indeed," confirmed Marvolo. "As Slytherin's heir, I have got access to sources historians have not. His motto was Singularity yet oneness, Power yet humbleness, Magic yet cleverness."
It was not what Severus had expected. Yet, it fitted Slytherin's rules and reputation well.
"Why have you not shared Slytherin's motto with the group? And with the rest of the Wizarding World? Many Purebloods take notice of mottos, and it could go a long way to assuage the defiance some of our proposals are setting off."
"The documents are in parseltongue," answered Lord Voldemort. "Finding a translator that both the Ministry and I could trust is complicated, and I don't think the gain would be as important as you believe."
Severus disagreed, but he could see the other man would not budge on this point. Was he reluctant to share the documents because he considered them his private inheritance? Was he afraid of others learning secrets only he was privy to? Was it a sign of paranoia brought on by the twisting of his core?
Up to this point, the Lord had been quite rational and coherent in their exchanges, and had reaffirmed his trust in Severus by divulging private information.
"Slytherin's writing was one of the reasons I decided to travel over the world. I followed several of his indications to find teachers who possessed a different approach to Magic than Hogwarts. I discovered wealth of knowledge," confided Lord Voldemort. "However, in all my travels, one thing eluded me. Something you should be able to tell me," added the Lord with glee.
"Really?" asked Severus, wondering if the Lord wanted to ask him about Werewolves or Familiars.
The other man nodded.
"Yes. No matter where I looked, no matter whom I asked, nobody was able to do more than give me a vague description of the Ritual. I have always wanted a Familiar, but the odds are so low that I can't imagine attempting the Ritual without more precise information."
Severus shook his head slowly.
"I'm afraid I will disappoint you, Marvolo. I don't remember much of what happened. Like a half-forgotten dream. I'm also certain that each person attempting the Ritual will live through a very different experience. I think that even if I could remember exactly what happened, I wouldn't tell you in fear of misleading you."
The Lord contemplated him with piercing eyes.
"I see. I can't take the risk of failing the Ritual and losing my wand or dying right now. Yet, with the Prophecy, I believe that I should get all the edges I can."
Could the Ritual fail because of his Horcruxes? Would his Familiar be as twisted as the Lord because of his link to his core?
Severus put the thought aside to focus on the more pressing matter of the Prophecy and its consequences.
"Speaking of the Prophecy, Marvolo, I wonder, in your opinion, what is the deadline for kidnapping the babies?"
Lord Voldemort gave Severus a pointed look.
"Don't worry, Severus. I'm not planning to rush into this and get caught before the election, crushing our every hope of improving our world. It must happen after the election, and before their third year to avoid too strong attachments to their birth-parents. Of course, it will depend on the number of kids we identify as well as their origins. It won't be the same to kidnap the heir of an old Pureblood House as the third child of a modest wizard family."
Severus nodded.
"I did not expect you to rush in like a Gryffindor, but you once asked me to help you, and helping you means checking that you are aware of all the advantages and weaknesses of our actions. What about the children's House Oath?"
Marvolo nodded.
"It will be a problem as it will let them be found by their Head of House as well as prevent them from being adopted by another House. Of course, it depends on the strength of the House and of the Oath. I'm looking into Dark rituals to help us break the link between the children and their birth house. Mulciber is also looking into ways of challenging the claim of one House over a child. Those children will become part of our group, and we will care for them as if they were our own."
Severus was reminded of Mother's warning about the insidiousness of the Dark. Marvolo was still rational, but he was forgetting his values. He was speaking of using dangerous Magic to cut the babies from their birth House, with the risk of hurting them like the Blacks rejection had hurt Sirius Black. Yet, he had spoken of loving those children as if they had always belonged to the group.
The Lord put his elbows on the armrest of his seat and looked at Severus with the glint of a challenge in his eyes.
"Now, Severus. We are five months away from the election. What do you think our strategy should be?"
Severus settled against the back of his armchair and crossed his legs, taking the time to think about his answer. He had an opportunity to influence the group's decision, if he found the right arguments. It was also the opportunity to test Lord Voldemort's sanity and clarity of mind.
"I believe you should keep on holding conferences about your program all across the country. The polls show that even your opponents appreciate the opportunity to argue and exchange views, and the fact that we usually manage to keep it civil has impressed many. We have won over voters thanks to these. On the other hand, I would decrease the frequency of the raids to focus only on rescuing the Halfbloods and Muggleborns in need, as well as the occasional spell-graffiti to denounce the predictable ministry's dumb actions. We cannot lose supporters and votes to Azkaban. And the closer we get to the election, the less we can afford to get bad press because a raid ended with a fight against Aurors, or because someone was hurt or killed."
Marvolo nodded thoughtfully.
"The only reason fights and deaths could be forgiven would be if we acted in the defence of children, I understand your reasoning."
Severus did not react to the callous statement. He knew Lily would have been horrified that the Lord would agree not to kill people only to avoid bad press.
Since his return, he had often wondered what his Mentor would have thought about the evolution of the Death Eaters, what advice Abraxas would have given him. He had found himself thinking about their past conversations, those that had not made much sense to him at the time. Those where Abraxas had told him that caring for others was as important as learning about Magic. Severus still did not care for most people, but he would protect the few he loved ferociously. He also understood that taking into account the feelings of others was important, especially if you wanted them to vote for you.
"Which brings me to my last proposal," said Severus. "Protecting magical children and our tradition is at the core of our program. Apart from the most extremist Birkins' supporters, our fellow citizens agree with us on the necessity of this protection. But they are afraid that the means we would use to implement this protection would be too extreme, too dangerous, too oppressive. I think we must show them that they have no reason to be afraid."
"And how would you do that?" asked the Lord, intrigued.
"We show them that the one measure we've already put into place is working without any coercion or corruption," answered Severus.
"You want to have the Muggleborns we saved from their families testify?" asked Marvolo, frowning. "I don't think we should put the children at risk, we've had enough difficulties taking them away and—"
"Of course not," interrupted Severus. "I want to organise a forum with the current mentorees, maybe with those who graduated last year too. Officially, we would organise it to promote the Mentorship among the other Houses and—"
"It's already the case, Severus," interjected Lord Voldemort.
"But how many mentorees are non-Slytherin today?" replied Severus.
"Point," conceded Marvolo. "Go on."
"The Muggleborns from the other Houses are refusing to enter the Mentorship because they are persuaded that it would turn them into evil Slytherins. We need to show them what happens during a mentorship. And we need to open the Mentor applications to non-Slytherins."
"Is this really necessary?" asked the Lord. "The other Houses don't apply Slytherin's rules, I'm not sure they would understand them."
"We would still have a right of veto on the Mentors," answered Severus. "But I think it's necessary to open the Mentors applications if we want to widen our voter base. You know that our detractors have criticised the facts that the Mentors all were from old Houses. It would be the opportunity to explain that Mentors must be Wizards from at least three generations to ensure that they have sufficient knowledge of the Wizarding World. To explain that sadly, even Purebloods can be ignorant of our fundamental traditions and laws because in the past forty years, education had been changed to please and reassure Muggleborns even though they needed the opposite. They needed to learn wizard traditions, rules and laws in depth because they don't have families who will pass on oral ancestral knowledge, like fairy tales that warn of the dangers of the Dark or of using too much Magic at once."
Severus paused, looking Marvolo right in the eyes.
"In their fairy tales, the monsters are the witches or the werewolves who get killed by the knight in shining armour. Goblins are evil, ugly and stupid. How can they properly do business with Gringotts with this prejudice?"
Lord Voldemort shook his head, smiling.
"Quite the impassioned plea, Severus. Convincing too. I believe we must work on the message we want to deliver, but this forum is a good idea. And I have no doubts that the Muggleborns won't come alone, bringing Purebloods students and their parents with them, which would give us the opportunity to gain voters."
Marvolo cocked his head thoughtfully, looking at Severus with a small smile.
"You've given me food for thought, Severus. I need to digest everything we spoke of before presenting it to the group to improve our ideas. Thank you. I knew I could rely on you."
"It was my pleasure, my-Marvolo," answered Severus. "Thank you for taking the time to meet with me."
"The pleasure was mine as well. And those were three hours well spent," stated the Lord.
They exchanged a few more pleasantries before Severus took his leave. He felt lighter on his way back home, his resolution strengthened by his visit with Marvolo. Helping him was the right decision. He had no doubt that once he shared his afternoon with Dhaal, his Familiar would be more supportive of the plan.