"Where is your mother Draco?" questioned Lucius
"I don't know" admitted Draco as he looked down at his father's feet, knowing better than to look his father in the eyes as an equal.
WHACK!
The sound of the wooden cane meeting Draco's face echoed throughout the dining hall of Malfoy Manor, the answer that Draco had given was not the one that Lucius was going to accept.
"You pathetic little shite, mind your tongue before I decide whether or not to have it ripped from your ungrateful mouth" hissed Lucius in anger, his eyes narrowed and cold.
Draco could feel the bruise forming on his left cheek almost immediately, the throbbing ache of pain burrowing under his cheek until it reached his very soul.
"Now, where do you believe your mother to be?" asked Lucius once more
"In the drawing room, talking to Mrs. Nott" answered Draco
WHACK!
The cane caught him in the left eye this time, causing it to welt up instantly as Draco lost all sight abilities through his left eye.
"If you knew that, why didn't you tell me the truth the first time you fucking brat" hissed Lucius before he dismissed Draco with a wave of his hand. "The Minister will be having dinner with your mother and I today, make yourself invisible"
Draco bowed to his father as he left the dining hall and made his way up to his room, each step sending a new jolt of pain through his face as it shifted side to side with each step. Father was in one of his moods, this was going to be a long summer.
Why?
Draco was a bit curious to what could cause his father to be in such a bad mood so early in the summer vacation. It couldn't have been his grades, he had gotten most EE's with 1 Acceptable in history. But nobody cared about history class at Hogwarts, it was taught by a bloody ghost.
Perhaps it had to do with the frequent visitors that they had been having. Father was not one to shy away from socializing, it was how he made his money after all. But they had not thrown a ball or a party all summer long, but more and more men in traveling cloaks continued to pay them visit.
A business deal that has gone bad?
No, Father would be ranting and raving about how real men stuck to their word, how nobody pulled one over on a Malfoy. Father was many things, but someone to be taken advantage of was not.
Draco tried to think as he finished the climbing of stairs up to his room, the chatter of his mother and Mrs. Nott from down the hall in the drawing room capturing his attention. From what he could remember, Mr. Nott and his father had both been foundational followers of the Dark Lord. It was why Mrs. Nott and his mother were such good friends, they had met through their husbands.
As silently as he could, Draco made his way to the door to the drawing room and pressed his ear against it, being able to actually understand what the women inside were saying. Nobody thought that Draco knew about this, but he knew that his Father had wards set up to allow him to eavesdrop on Mother and her friends. Why? It was none of his business..
"Do you find it refreshing to have hope once more?" asked Mrs. Nott
"I have given it some thought, we have a path forward into a brighter future now" replied Mother
"You don't actually believe that do you?" asked Mrs. Nott
"You know I don't" replied Mother
"Then we are in the same group once more" admitted Mrs. Nott, "You know how much I dislike the danger of them putting on their masks again for that man"
"He is the champion of Slytherin, the man with the purest blood in the wizarding world. The Black family were proud supporters and Lucius agrees with my family in supporting him" said Mother
"I do not disagree with the message, Blood is the most important thing that you can have in this world. You have to pair with the right kind of person to get the best results, but the methods are almost pure madness" said Mrs. Nott
"I know" added Mother, "Seeing Lucius put on that mask and turn into Midas once more is not something I ever wanted to see. We have enjoyed peace so much over these last couple of years since he vanished that night at the Potters. I do not wish to see another war if we do not have to"
"Lucius has already slipped back on the Midas mask?" asked Mrs. Nott
Draco was unable to see the reply given, but he could only assume that his mother gave a nod of confirmation based off the next set of words.
"Theodore Sr has already slipped back on his Spectre mask as well" continued Mrs. Nott, "it would seem that the dark days are coming upon us sooner than we think"
"He had all of them here the other day, he thinks that I am unaware of what is transpiring. But I know that all of them besides the ones in Azkaban and the one in Hogwarts were here recently. They're going to find him and we will all be plunged back into the chaotic darkness once more" stated Mother
Draco shivered at those words, what was mother going on about? Surely the return of the Dark Lord would bring about nothing but gold and status for Pureblood families such as his own. Father had always said that the Dark Lord treated his own with handsome rewards, yet Mother made it seem as if his return would bring about nothing but bad omens.
"I believe it is time that I head home, my husband and I like to have dinner together" said Mrs. Nott
"I will walk you to the apparition spot" said Mother
Draco's eyes widen as he realized that he could be caught, and he carefully slipped away before they opened the door. He heard the click of the door hinges right as he slipped into his own room down the hall and he could feel his heart beating with a force that he had never felt before.
The Dark Lord was alive? And it was not as great as they made it seem? Draco laid down as he felt a headache start to come on.
With Harry:
For the first time in his life, Harry felt that summer had arrived and departed faster than he would have liked. This was maybe the first time in his entire life that he had actually enjoyed a summer break.
The weirdest thing that had happened was that his request to have his parents' will unsealed had been blocked by the government. Fudge had sent him a letter explaining that the vote through the internal system had been denied and he was to wait until he was 16 like every other orphan in the Wizarding World.
Fleur, the amazing French witch, that had become one of Harry's better friends in such a short time had gone back to France with 3 weeks left on break. She needed to get ready for her Sixth Year, which Harry learned was when the French took their OWLS.
They had remained pen pals, exchanging at least one letter per week, sometimes as many as three. Harry had to admit that he missed having her around, it had been nice to have someone who had been close to his age around during the summer. He missed his 16 year old friend, more than he would admit.
Sirius said that meant someone with money or influence saw the request and gathered his supporters in the government to say no. But also according to Sirius, much to Harry's surprise, it couldn't have been Dumbledore because he didn't have the political cache to get a motion like that passed.
No, it had to be someone with old money and familial power per Sirius, which meant that it was not anyone Harry or Sirius would know at this time.
Speaking of Sirius, Harry had listened to the man and he found that he was brutally honest with him all the time. Harry had learned of his time at school and found that Sirius, his father, a man named Remus Lupin, and a cowardly man named Peter were all best friends.
Harry also learned that all 4 of them were giant arseholes who bullied and pranked most of the student body for six and a half years. It had been a different time, Voldemort was rising up and they had thought that the school needed a good laugh every now and then.
However, the issue with their time was that there just so happened to be so many Blood Purist at the time and it was easy for them to get carried away or that is how Sirius told the stories. Harry thought maybe they just lacked self control like most teenagers, but he found the frequent stories of Snape interesting.
"So he liked my mum?" asked Harry
"The greasy git was absolutely smitten with her, they were the best of friends until the end of our Fifth year when he called her a racial slur" answered Sirius
"How did that happen?" asked Harry
Sirius blushed bright red as he recalled the events and muttered, "We were in the process of panting him after our OWLs exams and things kind of just got away from us"
That phrase "Things kind of just got away from us" popped up near the end of a lot of Sirius' stories about his youth.
Aside from stories of Harry's Dad and Mom, Sirius had been a great asset to Harry's studies. Sirius, coming from a fairly elderly Wizarding family, was extremely well versed in Runes of most tongues. He helped Harry understand concepts that even Fleur had issues understanding, let alone being capable of teaching.
Harry was able to learn much more about how to craft rune arrays, how magic flowed, and how to understand the theory side of magic.
"There is more to casting spells than fancy wand work" advised Sirius, "There is a reason that so many magical families hammer in the theory side of things before sending their kids off to school"
Harry had always found it boring, but since he had grown more interested in runes, he had decided to give it a more honest attempt. It was still boring, but it made more sense than it ever had before.
Which led them to this moment, standing together on platform nine and three- quarters and looked up to see the Hogwarts Express, a scarlet steam engine, puffing smoke over a platform packed with witches and wizards seeing their children onto the train.
Sirius was only there because he was hidden under a glamour spell that made him look like a non-descript brown haired pale Brit as well as a series of runes that created a ripple effect around his face if anyone looked too hard at him.
"You ready?" asked Sirius
"I wish I could stay with you" admitted Harry
"I do too kid, but I will be back at the apartment" said Sirius as he pulled his Godson into a tight hug, trying to let him know that this had been the best summer of his life.
"I'm going to get you a trial" whispered Harry
"Let me figure that out brat" whispered back Sirius before the pair of them broke apart and Harry blinked away a couple of tears that had welled up in his eyes,
"Stay out of trouble" warned Sirius
"I will try" said Harry
"Good enough for me" chuckled Sirius, "You better get on the train before you get a shit compartment"
Harry nodded and Sirius tapped his trunk, making it as light as a feather, and ruffled Harry's hair, "Write me every week brat"
"I promise" replied Harry
"If Dumbledore gives you any shit for anything, tell him you know about Maeve in 1976 and how he covered it up" said Sirius before he disappeared with a wink.
Lifting his trunk, Harry made his way onto the train, but he didn't get very far before a hand clamped down on his shoulder. Turning around, he saw that the hand belonged to Draco Malfoy, and he looked far different than the young boy who had previously exclaimed that 'All Mudbloods have to go'.
No, this Draco Malfoy looked a bit thinner, taller, and more emotion was seen in his eyes than Harry could remember ever seeing. He also looked scared, as if he was the one being hunted rather than the muggleborns.
"Can I talk to you?" asked Draco
"Um, sure" answered Harry
This summer had taught him a lot about the world that he had previously never considered. Sirius was from a proud Pureblood family and he had turned his back on almost everything that they stood for. Draco was here, looking scared and alarmed, this might be his moment to follow a path like Sirius.
"Where are your body guards?" asked Harry
"Sitting in a compartment on the south side of the train, I was looking for you" answered Draco honestly
The pair of them slipped into an empty compartment and Harry slapped a prewritten silencing ward rune on the door, giving the two of them a moment of privacy.
"You learned Runes" noted Draco
"This was an eventful summer, I've learned a lot of new tricks" shrugged Harry
"This was an eventful summer for me as well" said Draco before he gulped, "Tell me Potter, what do you know about the Dark Lord?"
Harry twisted his face as he thought about it, what did he know about the Dark Lord? Less than he probably should, but why was this important?
"Not much, just that he was a child killing wanker" stated Harry
Draco nodded as if that was the right answer, "And if I told he was alive?"
Harry felt a shard of ice explode in his chest at those words because it was not the first time that he had heard those words. No, someone in his very first year told him that Voldemort was alive and apparently, nothing was being done about that.
"You sure about that?" asked Harry
"My father is one of his inner circle members, Midas. He's been calling meetings with all the remaining free members at the house all summer long" confirmed Draco
Harry felt panic build inside of his body, like a soda pop bottle that had been shaken.
"Why are you telling me this?" asked Harry
"Because I've learned that the Dark Lord is not going to bring about some era of peace in the Wizarding World. I've overheard a conversation about how terrible he treats his followers and how ruthless he is to the world" said Draco as he licked his lips, "My father is already a cruel man, I ,,, I am scared that he might be a bigger monster than anyone has ever admitted"
Harry took deep breathes as he tried to process that Draco was admitting that Voldemort was not only still alive, but his followers were slowly rallying.
"Why tell me?" asked Harry
"Because you came up several times, there was something about you and fate repeated over and over again" said Draco, "Do you think I should tell Dumbledore?"
Harry shook his head, "Dumbledore has known that he's been alive for years, he even told me so back in first year"
Draco stiffened, "What?"
"It's a scary thought isn't it?" asked Harry
Draco nodded, "I have to get back to Crabbe and Goyle, they might be starting to wonder where I am"
Harry nodded, "Is there anything else that I should know?"
Draco's nose wrinkled as he thought for a moment, "Oh yeah, one of the inner circle works at Hogwarts. His code name is Chiron, my father said he might not be trustworthy anymore"
It's fucking Snape realized Harry as he remembered what the shade of Riddle had told him as he started dying;
Riddle opened his mouth and black ink leaked from the corners instead of blood, "Because even though I am from before Lord Voldemort's time, I can still feel my own magic inside the castle. The potions' master, Severus Snape, he bears the mark of my magic on him very soul"
"Snape was your follower?" Harry half asked, half realized
Riddle dropped to the ground, his body landing on all fours. Despite whatever pain he was going through, he still managed to nod.
"Thank you Draco" said Harry, "I appreciate you telling me all of this"
"I'm sorry about these past two years, I just want things to be normal" whispered Draco
Harry extended his hand to Draco, "Maybe we can be friends"
Draco shook the hand and said "I'd like that"
Harry ripped the rune array off the door and they exited the compartment, going their own ways.
"Hey, there you are" said Ginny as she came walking down the corridor, "Was that Malfoy?"
"Yeah" answered Harry as they both watched him walk away
"He looks different" noted Ginny, "What did he want? Trying to get his yearly quota of insults done early?"
"No, he came to warn me about some stuff he overheard at his house" said Harry
"And you believe him?" asked Ginny
Harry nodded, "He's changed because I think he realized the same thing that I did at the end of last year"
All these people in charge don't care about us. They want us to do as we are told and nothing more.
"Well, that's good I guess" said Ginny before she waved down Hermione and Ron who both looked really excited to see Harry.
They walked towards the front of the train and found the same compartment that they usually sat in was taken by a single occupant, a man sitting fast asleep next to the window. Harry, Ron, and Hermione checked on the threshold. The Hogwarts Express was usually reserved for students, and they had never seen an adult there before, except for the witch who pushed the food cart.
The stranger was wearing an extremely shabby set of wizard's robes that had been darned in several places. He looked ill and exhausted. Though quite young, his light brown hair was flecked with gray.
"Who d'you reckon he is?" Ron hissed as they sat down and slid the door shut, taking the seats farthest away from the window.
"Professor R. J. Lupin," whispered Hermione at once. "How d'you know that?"
"It's on his case," she replied, pointing at the luggage rack over the man's head, where there was a small, battered case held together with a large quantity of neatly knotted string. The name Professor R. J. Lupin was stamped across one corner in peeling letters.
This is Remus that Sirius told me about thought Harry with a smile as Ginny left to go meet her friends but the main trio settled in.
With Snape and Dumbledore: Hogwarts
Snape felt the pressure of the world on his shoulders, things had progressed faster than he could have ever imagined.
"Midas has asked me to make Herro's Strengthening Elixir, it seems that they want to be fully prepared for when they find him" said Snape
Dumbledore let out a sigh, his mind trying to figure out how to make this situation work for them. Tom's followers were proving to be more loyal than he could have ever believed. What was driving them forward like this? Do they not remember the manner in which Tom treated them?
"Do they trust you?" asked Dumbledore
"At this moment there is little reason to trust me" admitted Snape, "I've been working with the biggest enemy of our Lord for the past decade. Would you trust me?"
Dumbledore shook his head, "No"
"So, then what do you suggest that we do?" questioned Snape
"Make the potions and regain their trust" said Dumbledore
"Are you mad?" snarled Snape, "Even if he's crippled physically, giving him that elixir will make him nearly back to his peak before the ritual being used to gift him a new body"
"Severus, we need to have you remain in the inner circle. You need to regain the trust of all of them and be in his good graces once he rises again"
"Tell me Dumbledore, what is your plan to deal with him?"
"The boy –"
But he was cut off
"You senile old man, there is no way that he will ever be ready. He's fucking 13 years old"
"He's already gotten the best of him twice"
"And when his luck runs out and he's face to face with the Dark Lord in his peak form?"
"He will still have the protection of his mother"
"Dumbledore, you are so brilliant and yet so stupid at the same time. How about you stop relying on hopes, dreams, and prayers and actually train the boy for what is to come"
"And allow him to realize that he might not ever be good enough?"
"You would rather rely on dumb luck and a dying wish than actual talent?"
"Enough, make the potion as you were told"
"I look forward to one day having no master to tell me what to do" said Snape as he whirled around to leave the headmaster's office, but pausing when he heard Dumbledore speak.
"You are a man tied to two men's will, perhaps you should make better life choices in the next life"
The door slammed behind Snape.
Malfoy Manor:
Midas was happy that his son was no longer in the house, it made it easier to have Spectre and Prometheus come over. His wife was out of the house as well, a gentle nudge to go shopping was all it took.
"So, what do we know?" asked Spectre
"We know that there has been increasing dark magic building up in Eastern Europe" answered Prometheus, "The ministry has been asked about it several times so far, looks like some of the smaller countries need assistance"
"What makes this so special?" asked Spectre
"The dark magic comes with traces of possession, the only person I know who would be capable of such an action at this moment would be the Dark Lord" answered Prometheus
"Eastern Europe" repeated Midas as he flicked his wand and a map covered the table before them and he looked down at it, "Do we have any idea where?"
Prometheus nodded and he drew his wand and used magic to draw a circle in the southeast portion of Europe, the countries including Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia, Serbia and Albania.
"I don't know anything about this part of Europe that would be of importance to the Dark Lord" admitted Spectre
Midas studied the area of the map that was circle and tried to recall anything that would be of interest or noteworthy for the Dark Lord. His strained his memory and he remembered where he had first heard the rumor that the Dark Lord was still alive, when the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor had been killed two years ago. Where had it been that he had visited?
"Albania" whispered Midas as a soft smile grew on his face, his mind connecting the dots, before he repeated it with more confidence, "Albania"
"Are you sure?" asked Spectre
"Yes, Professor Quirinus Quirrell from Hogwarts traveled there almost two and a half years ago, I remember the paperwork coming across the Board of Governors desk. He went to Albania to study dark magic being performed through snakes" said Midas with glee, "At the time, I thought nothing of it, it was just a small grant being asked, so we approved it. However, when he came back, he died that same year at Hogwarts during Harry Potter's first year. That was the first time the rumor of the Dark Lord being alive was heard"
Prometheus nodded "Good enough for me, I will start the process of conducting a ritual to pinpoint us the location and we will move out as soon as possible"
There was a tap at the window and Midas flicked his wand to allow the owl inside where it gave him a letter.
Midas smiled, "We will be waiting boys, Chiron will be making the Herro's Strengthening Elixir for the Dark Lord, says there would be no greater pleasure than assisting the Dark Lord in regaining his former glory"
A/N: I personally think this is a great chapter, but I could be wrong. If it was bad, I'm sure that you guys will let me know.
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