AN: Hope you all enjoy another chapter! I'm actually surprised I managed to get another one out so soon. I had a blast writing this, and I hope you all enjoy it. As always, enjoy two fluffy boys being nerds together haha. Also, Tom is extremely observant and is already catching onto some things, even if these two haven't yet.

Tom was livid after viewing the recording, forgetting about how impressed he was with the invention. He was seething with rage, his magic crashing through the manor in waves as his eyes narrowed into slits.

"How dare he," Tom hissed darkly, almost slipping into parseltongue as more anger coursed through him. "It was bad enough that he purposefully kept you in an abusive household that went against your parents' wishes," Tom began, gripping the table in his study, his knuckles turning bone white. "But now, to find out that he has deliberately been setting up your death this entire time…" His breath left him at that, his other hand shaking in rage.

In all his time serving the Dark Lord, Barty had only once seen the Dark Lord so upset. The difference was that this time, there was no crazed gleam within the eyes. Instead, a protective gleam blazed within them, his anger more than justified. The Dark Lord forced himself to take another breath, slowly letting his hand unclench from the abused wooden table.

"It appears that your hunch about Dumbledore knowing I created Horcruxes was correct," Tom stated after taking a second to allow his magic to settle. Harry nodded, shifting closer to Barty on impulse as he recalled their conversation from a few weeks ago. "Since I had already re-absorbed my soul fragments, I hadn't been as concerned as I should have been." Here, the older wizard looked at Harry, his eyes gleaming with worry. "It never occurred to me that he would use the secret of my Horcruxes like this,"

Harry nearly flinched at that, having thought the same thing. While he had already lost all respect for Dumbledore the moment he discovered he went against his parent's wishes, he hadn't expected the man to continue to stoop so low. It appeared that they were all mistaken, and the headmaster would only continue to act with such disgrace.

At his side, Barty unconsciously moves his arm, allowing the younger wizard to press closer to him.

"He's known for a while, in that case." Harry pointed out softly, closing his eyes as different memories surfaced. "It was in my first year when he said you could return through other means. He hadn't even been surprised that you had somehow returned," The Dark Lord laced his fingers together, humming softly as he looked pensive.

This was a conversation they already had, but it was different right in this moment. Beforehand, it had just been speculation that Dumbledore knew about the Horcruxes. Now, it was proven that Dumbledore had been aware of the dark ritual and had somehow known in advance for years.

"That is what alarms me," Tom confessed. "I only disclosed the details of my Horcruxes to my most loyal, as I told you before. Unless one of them betrayed me, there is no possibility that Dumbledore could have discovered this on his own." Harry frowned at that, nodding slowly as he thought it over.

While he had never officially been in the Order of the Phoenix, the only supposed Death Eater they had, to his knowledge, was Severus Snape. Sirius and Remus had told them about everyone else from the current group, and from the original group. None of them had been on the Dark Lord's side besides Snape.

However, Snape had not been privy to the knowledge of the Horcruxes.

"The only Death Eater in the Order that I know about is Professor Snape," Harry said honestly, thinking of the list of people that Remus and Sirius had given them the other day. "My Godfathers would have told me if there were anyone else," Tom nodded, not looking surprised.

"I will look through my memories later. It's possible that I have overlooked some things," The Slytherin admitted, a troubled look briefly appearing on his features. "Back when I made my last Horcruxes is when my mind started to shatter. It is possible in those moments; I may have disclosed the information to other followers." Harry swallowed at the tone, feeling the minuscule amount of shame through their familial bond.

Harry wanted to say something to try and cheer him up, but the older wizard was speaking up again, cutting off any words that might have risen.

"In the meantime," Tom started to change the subject, looking more intense than usual. "We will need to adjust our plan. Originally, you were meant to side with Dumbledore and promote my return with him," The Dark Lord seemed to grimace at their original plan, seeing the flaws in it. "Having your name dragged down with him was one of my top concerns, but now that we are aware of his plans for you, the more distance between you two the better," Harry nodded immediately.

"I was thinking about recanting part of my story about the graveyard. While the public doubts your return, they are still well aware that you have devout followers. They believed the attack at the Quidditch World Cup was a way for them to strike fear, and to make it seem like they still had power." Harry paused after a moment, licking his lips. "And the staged attack we had to do with Mad-Eye Moody would count as fearmongering well," He added the last part sheepishly, remembering when he had to inform Tom about what they had done at Hogwarts. Beside him, Barty's brown eyes started to gleam as an idea hit him.

"There is a spell called halwasa," Barty added, giving Harry a small, private smile. "It's a dark curse that causes the victim to have hallucinations of whatever the caster wants. This way, you won't have to try and backtrack from what you've already told them," Harry's eyes lit up in gratitude as he smiled at his friend, feeling a wave of relief go through him.

"It's also not uncommon for followers of important figures to do this," Tom's voice broke out, causing Harry to look at him with intrigue. "Grindelwald continues to ammas a large following, despite being incarcerated for decades." Barty nodded, having seen some of the protests himself when he was a child.

Now that part of the plan was cleared up, Harry voiced the other thought that was plaguing his mind.

"How will I stay away from Dumbledore at Hogwarts, though?" Harry questioned, looking slightly apprehensive. "As much as I hate to admit it, Hogwarts is his domain. At Wizengamot I have you and the Minister there to keep Dumbledore away. There isn't much I can do to keep him away from me there while I attend as a regular student," Beside him, he could feel Barty tense at his words, the man's hand brushing against his own to comfort both of them.

"That is where I come in," Tom waved his hand, conjuring a plain-looking envelope. "As your guardian, I have the parental right to request you be accompanied anytime the headmaster needs you in his office. I have no intention of leaving you alone with him," There was a look of disgust on the older wizard's face, his lips turned into a sneer at the mere thought of Harry anywhere near the old man. "After his blatant desire to question you and push your boundaries at the last Wizengamot meeting, I went ahead and signed off on this,"

"Thank you," Harry gave him a genuine smile, relief shimmering through their bond.

"Usually, this would need to be approved by the Board of governors after a deliberation. Lucky for us, Lucius was more than happy to speed up the process," Harry snorted softly at that, feeling more at ease. As much as he wanted to deny it, the recording had him on edge, more than he cared to admit out loud.

It made him apprehensive of Sirius' trial date. As excited as he was for it, he was dreading whatever the Order had planned. His unease must have been felt because Barty's magic was gently nudging his own, sending a wave of comfort to him. Relaxing from the soothing magic, Harry took a breath as he cleared his mind, asking another important question.

"Will you tell Minister Fudge about Doge being involved in the breach?" Tom tilted his head, nodding after a moment of deliberation.

"After I inform the Goblins, yes." Smirking at the mention of them, Harry couldn't help but wonder what they would have in store for the old wizard and all of his transgressions. "I'm also going to throw a wrench in Dumbledore's plans," Harry snorted at the muggle colloquialism. "Originally, it was set for Sirius Black to receive his summons first, but given the new information," Dark eyes landed on the fly, the hatred in them simmering again. "I am sure Minister Fudge would be agreeable to changing the dates around so that Barty is summoned first,"

A small smile formed on his face, unable to stop the joy he felt for the wizard beside him. Soon, Barty would be completely free and able to continue with his life. He would have the chance to follow his own dreams and focus on becoming the man he wanted to be, not the shadow his father tried to turn him into.

"I will accompany him to Black's trial." Harry nearly swallowed at the conviction in Barty's voice, the raw passion taking him by surprise for a moment. "If they think they can try to get away with this, they will be mistaken." Mouth drying at the dark tone, Harry sent his own calming magic Barty's way, giving him a private smile when those warm eyes landed on him.

"I will also be in attendance," Tom promised, his eyes hard. "By the time Lord Black's exoneration comes, Lord Doge will no longer hold the position he does. I will ensure it." He pauses, adding on; "I will also prevent Nymphadora Tonks from being selected for duty," Again, Harry feels another wave of relief flow through him. Still, there was something he needed to bring to Tom's attention, something Sirius had recently told him.

"We'll have to keep a close watch on her in the future," Harry had to point out. "From what Sirius told me, Tonks is a metamorphmagus," Based on the way his eyebrows rose, Tom had clearly been unaware of this fact.

Even Barty seemed to freeze at the news, his face a mixture of emotions.

"I thought that ability had been lost," Barty mused for a second, his interest outshining his unease for a split second. "It was an ability that used to be rampant in the Black family, but it's been dormant for generations."

"Probably due to all the inbreeding," Harry commented offhandedly, noticing the wince that formed on Tom's face at the word. "Her mom was blasted off the family tree for marrying a muggle. It's likely that the fresh blood could have activated the ability again since it could have become diluted over time," There was an infectious gleam in Barty's eyes, the one that Harry absolutely loved. Whenever the Ravenclaw had that look in his eyes, the two of them could spend hours talking and going over different theories.

Sadly, now was not the time to do that.

When Harry glanced at Tom's direction, he felt a small flush spread across his face at the amusement shining in those eyes. Tom's lips were turned upwards into a small, knowing smirk. Why he had that smirk, Harry couldn't comprehend.

"There are a few ways to spot a metamorphmagus," Tom informed once he had Harry's attention again. "One way is through their magical signature. No matter who or what they transform into, their signature will always remain the same." Harry nodded, understanding that easily enough. "There are also enchanted items which allow the user to see certain magical properties."

"Like Alastor Moody's eye," Harry mumbled to himself, remembering that Barty had informed him that the eye could see through his invisibility cloak. Tom nodded, speaking up again.

"Metamorphmagus are constantly using their magic when they transform. For those who are either not powerful enough, or haven't been trained enough to sense the magic, the enchanted item will show them,"

As Tom spoke, Harry thought of a few different items he could possibly create with Barty's help. While he had a natural affinity for sensing magic, he didn't want to be caught off guard in an ambush. Looking at Barty, he noticed his friend still had that gleam in his eyes, and he couldn't help but wonder if the man was thinking the same thing he was.

With his mind occupied with different ideas, Harry hadn't noticed the way Tom's eyes gleamed with amusement again, a small smirk on the man's face when he and Barty left.

Once they were back home, Barty was quick to pull Harry to one of the living rooms, bursting with ideas. Harry grinned to himself, matching Barty's infectious energy as his own ideas came forward.

"One of the items I was thinking about creating is an anti-apparition item, like a cloak or some sort of pendant," Harry spoke after brainstorming different ideas with the Ravenclaw. "At least, anti-apparition for anyone that's not the owner, or someone the owner trusts," The more he spoke, the more his friend grinned, intelligent eyes gleaming.

"That's brilliant. When it comes to programming enchanted items like that, the owner of the item needs to imbue it with their magic first. After that's complete, then you can modify it by incorporating other people's magic into it, or by using an emotion-based spell."

"Emotion-based would mean that the item would be more sentient, right? It would form a reaction based on the emotion it senses from my magic?" Barty nodded at that, impressed at how quick Harry was to understand it. "Is it possible to do both?" Harry questioned.

"It takes a little longer, but yes. It's possible."

"I know I want your magic to be incorporated into it as well," Harry was quick to say, fighting off the flush that wanted to rise. "I'm not worried about adding anyone else but yours," He confessed, earning another one of Barty's gentle smiles.

"In that case, let's get started,"

Harry wasn't sure what it was, but anytime Barty smiled like that at him, his chest exploded with warmth.

It might have been selfish, but Harry loved the fact that he was one of the few who were privileged to see it.

Standing straight and poised, Tom put on his persona of Lord Octavian Sayre as he walked into the Minister's office, ready to begin their meeting. He had to fight down the urge to narrow his eyes at Lady Umbridge, but unlike the horrid woman, he was able to mask his emotions.

"Secretary Umbridge," He gave her a faux, polite smile. "Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to set up this meeting," Octavian spoke kindly, not afraid to stroke her ego if it meant she would leave sooner.

"The pleasure was all mine, Lord Sayre. I am pleased that someone of your stature and beliefs gets along so well with our minister! It was a relief that you were not someone like Lord Dumbledore or his followers," Octavian had to incline his head at that, accepting her words. Even if he despised the woman, he had to agree with her on this one thing.

"Lord Sayre," Minister Fudge entered the room, a pleasant smile on his face. Unlike with Umbridge, Octavian gave him a genuine smile, nodding in his direction. "I'm sorry if I kept you waiting. My last meeting went longer than expected,"

"I only just arrived, Minster. It was of no consequence," Nodding, Cornelius walked behind his desk to sit down, giving his secretary a small smile and a stack of papers.

"Make sure Lord Zander receives these, Dolores. It's vital," The closer he became to the Minister, the more he realized how often the man dismissed his secretary, sending her away as soon as he could. It hadn't taken him long to figure out that the Minister's smiles at the woman were also fake, just like his own.

"Of course, Minister. I'll get these sent immediately," With that, she hobbled out of the room, taking her garish attire with her. As soon as the door was shut, Fudge waved his wand, warding the room and locking the door. On top of that was a heavy privacy charm, and Octavian had to withhold a laugh.

"Have you been thinking about replacements?" Octavian asked, unable to stop his lips from curling into a smirk. The Minister snorted, rubbing at his temples.

"I'm afraid my eyesight worsens with each day I'm forced to endure her pink suits," The man joked, but soon became serious when he let out a deep sigh. "She is unsuited for the position, in my opinion. For someone so high up, she is incapable of keeping her opinions secret. It is sadly unbecoming of her," He rubbed his temple again. "I fear that I could lose popularity with the people in Wizengamot if I keep her as my secretary," Octavian listened in interest, glad to hear that he was taking more initiative to remove the witch.

"I'm afraid that you are correct," Octavian didn't sugarcoat it, knowing the minister needed to hear the truth. "I have overheard quite a few complaints about her, through a wide range of Wizengamot. There aren't many who appreciate her remarks. I know she upset a lot of people when the Goblins sent William Weasley as their representative." Fudge sighed, nodding.

"Which is only part of the reason I'm in the process of removing her," The Minister admitted after a moment of deliberation. "You aren't supposed to know this until the next meeting, but seeing as we have other businesses to discuss that relates to what I'm about to tell you, I see no harm in you knowing sooner. " Octavian blinked, curiosity flowing through him.

"There has been a lot of questioning whether Lord Dumbledore is capable enough as the headmaster," Fudge admitted, smirking at the vindictive gleam that entered Octavian's eyes. "The Board has only recently contacted me about this because frankly, this shouldn't be ministry business," The minister admitted. "However, with the numerous scandals, and the potential breach at the ministry thanks to Dumbledore, we don't feel comfortable at the idea this man has control over an entire school,"

"No, I wouldn't either," Octavian conceded, his fingers laced together. "Have parents been issuing their complaints and concerns as well?" It wouldn't have surprised him if that were the case. Most of the members of Wizengamot either had children, or grandchildren at Hogwarts. After the public display of Dumbledore losing his Order of Merlin, it was sure to cause a stir eventually.

"You have no idea," Cornelius sighed, shaking his head. "Seeing as we have no alternative at the time, the ministry is sending one of our own to watch him." Octavian blinked once, understanding almost immediately.

"You're sending Dolores," He realized, making the minister grimace.

"I didn't want to, but there is no one else," Cornelius confessed. "There is one silver lining. At least it gives me time to look for her replacement while she is away," Feeling pity for the man, Octavian mulled it over. "Seeing that there is once again a spot needed to fill the defense position, we are sending Dolores as its instructor."

"I take it you are also worried about how she will handle herself at Hogwarts," The minister nodded immediately, not bothering to hide it.

"If she handles things poorly and causes problems, it falls back on not only me but the Ministry as a whole. No matter what direction this goes in, we will receive some form of backlash. I'd rather it not be because of her, however." Octavian understood perfectly, frowning to himself.

"Would you like my advice?" With earnest eyes, the minister nodded immediately. "I understand that you have to send someone from the ministry to watch Dumbledore, but I don't think they need to be a professor. It's no secret that Dumbledore is under scrutiny from multiple parties. It might be a better course of action to be transparent about that,"

"You think we should send Dolores as a simple observer, in that case?" Cornelius asked, thinking over the words. Octavian leaned back in his seat, folding his arms together.

"I do." After a moment, he spoke up. "I'll be frank here, Cornelius," Octavian began, giving him an apologetic smile for his upcoming words. "Dolores Umbridge is power hungry, and not in a productive, or practical way. Her behavior is unbecoming of anyone in the Ministry, let alone someone as high up as she is. Because of her position, she already views herself as more important than she already is, and I know that you've seen this too," Fudge made no move to defend his secretary, having seen it before as well. "If you give her a position of power at Hogwarts, I fear what she would do with it," Fudge became more aware of what Octavian was getting at, giving a slow nod.

"You're right," Fudge mumbled, rubbing his bottom lip in thought. "I also worry about what it would look like to the public if the ministry started appointing our own employees as professors. This way, even if she does cause issues there, she at least won't have the power or justification to do…" Cornelius trailed off, a startled laugh leaving him. "Octavian, I do believe you would have been a Slytherin if you attended Hogwarts,"

Octavian merely smirked.

"I will have to make a statement to the public that Dolores will not hold any power at Hogwarts, and that while she is a ministry official, she has so jurisdiction there." Octavian could tell that the man was relieved, some of the lines vanishing from his face as a weight was lifted from his shoulders. "I'm sorry we got so sidetracked with all of this. What was the news you wanted to share?"

Here, Octavian straightened and schooled his features into a more professional one.

"I had to contact the Goblins about this first, but now that I have, it's time for you to know as well. We have discovered one of the members in the ministry and Wizengamot who was involved in the breach," With wide eyes, Fudge sat straighter as well, looking intently at the paper that was placed on his desk. At first glance, his eyebrows raised, noticing the Goblin seal.

Taking it in his hand, he began to read it over, his eyes widening.

"Lord Elphias Doge." Fudge read, his eyes hardening as he read over the rest of the paper. "He's been using his status within the ministry to inform outside members of key trial dates?" Thinking about Harry, Octavian nearly glared at the paper. "Dumbledore wanted to know the exoneration date of Lord Black. Why?" The man questioned mostly to himself.

"My ward has given me permission to tell you more about his situation," Fudge quickly looked up from the paper, the man's eyes shining with concern. "It was his parents' dead wishes that Dumbledore blatantly ignored. He was able to use his followers' positions in the ministry to manipulate the reading of the will," Lips parting in shock, the Minster sat back in his chair, looking absolutely horrified.

"That poor boy has been through enough as it is, but to hear this…" The Minister shook his head. "Utterly despicable," The minister sneered.

"It was Elphias Doge who informed Dumbledore about the dates Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa Malfoy were being questioned. Narcissa is his godmother, but Dumbledore had the reading of the will pushed back so it fell on the day she was being questioned." The minster paled more, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Dear Merlin," The wizard whispered.

"I can't be for certain why Dumbledore needed to know the date for Lord Black's exoneration, but I worry it could be a way to isolate my ward." Fudge froze at that, frowning even more. "Harry has made it known he's not a fan of Dumbledore anymore. The headmaster doesn't like this, obviously," He couldn't outright show the man the recording without giving away the knowledge of Horcruxes, but this would be the best he could do.

"I see. You worry Dumbledore would try something…" The man sighed again, shaking his head. "A few months ago, I never thought Lord Dumbledore would be capable of anything like this, but now, I share your fear, Octavian. Whatever the man had planned can't be good for anyone, let alone Lord Potter."

"I was thinking that we switch Lord Black and Lord Crouch's exoneration dates to throw Dumbledore off, as well as Elphias Doge," The minister nodded, looking back at the paper again with a forlorn sigh.

"I wish I could handle these two myself, but since the Goblin nation is involved in this, it falls into their hands as well. They are likely to be more vicious than me either way," Fudge sighed, placing the paper back down. "The most I can do is remove Lord Doge from the position of trial planner, which I will do as soon as we are done with this meeting," Octavian smirked at that, glad to see a determined gleam in the minister's eyes.

"Thank you for agreeing to the meeting, Minister. I'll let you know if we uncover any other breaches," Snorting, Fudge stood from his chair to see Octavian out, smirking a little.

"If you need to plan another meeting, Octavian, don't hesitate. It gives secretary Umbridge something to do besides bother me," Lips curling into an amused smirk, Octavian left the minister's office, feeling accomplished.

It was another strike against Dumbledore, after all. He couldn't wait until everything else unfolded.