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The Black Heir	By : gpsassi Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Voldemort Views: 42492 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 24
- 25
- 26
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters created and owned by JK
Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books,
Scholastic Books and Raincoat Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being
made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

AN: Wow! I got many wonderful and long reviews for the last chapter. I�m
so happy! I thank you for your opinion on the Orion/Draco pairing, it helped me
make up my mind (And Estheriana, I swear that you read my mind! If you continue
like this I�ll have to change the plot just to be able to surprise you �grins-.

A reviewer pointed out that Orion is only 14 and that people that age
doesn�t have serious relationships and they don�t consider them long-lasting. I
completely agree but in Orion�s case, he has always been starved for love,
that�s why he holds on to his relationship with Lez, because Lez is his first
love, the first one to show him that he was loved by someone. Despite Orion�s
uncertainties about their relationship he wants to make it work, he�s quite the
romantic sort of person that believes in long-run relationships, even at his
age. He wouldn�t consider just having flings. And Lezander, though he�s only 14
(he�s not a thousand-year-old vampire with the body of a boy) also looks for a
serious relationship since he wants a mate to be with him during his long life
and help him rule his Clan.

There were a lot of other questions that were asked but I hope they will
be answered as the story goes on. I�ll answer some of HazelWolf�s that I
remember right now.

- Pettigrew is still a Death Eater, currently spying for LV in his rat
form.

- Orion can�t pay the Necromancer�s Guild to save Sirius because the
Guild can only be contacted by a Necromancer, and they wouldn�t be interested in
money anyways and Orion can�t offer the Resurrection Stone because he needs it
for himself. Also, as Loki said, no one has ever reversed a Dementor�s Kiss
before, so there�s no point in Orion asking the Guild to do it.

- As for the spirits, Orion has been looking for them and even
researching in books but he has found nothing so far.

- In Orion�s relationship with Lezander, Lezander is the one who takes
control since he�s the most outgoing one since he�s a vampire and all. Orion�s
blushes and inexperience are due to the fact that it�s all new to him, sure,
he�s a healthy fourteen-year-old boy that has masturbated and everything, but
he and Lez haven�t had sex yet. And I didn�t want them to be giving each other
hand jobs when they were so young, that�s why Lez gave him one, or tried to at
least, when Orion is 14. At 13 it would have been a little too early in my
opinion. But now, Orion will also start giving Lezander pleasure, as they have
broken through the first hand job stage. Though I don�t think I�ll get into
their intimacy much, it would be implied that they�ve kept experimenting. I
don�t want to portrait Orion as a simpering girl but I want to make him
inexperienced and somewhat uncertain when it comes to sex. Later on, I want
Voldemort to guide him through it. Orion won�t take control in intimacy until
much later, but he will eventually.

- As for Orion�s submissiveness towards Voldemort: Orion wants to be his
equal and he�s realizing that he can be a leader himself, but he can�t confront
Voldemort openly because Orion doesn�t want to reveal his real powers before he
has mastered them; because Voldemort can still easily kill him; and because
Orion wants to be in Voldemort�s good graces since he�s aware that Voldemort is
needed for the war and Voldemort is at present more powerful than him based
primarily on Voldemort�s Dark Arts knowledge and decades of experience. And
their age difference and personality also comes into play in their
relationship: Voldemort will always be the dominant one, though as Orion gets
older and more powerful he�ll be able to turn the tables for once in a while.

As you�ll see, this chapter is the longest I�ve written so far, but it�s
mostly dialogues so I hope it won�t get too boring for you guys. If it�s too
tedious, please tell me, so next time I�ll make it shorter. I had to quickly
cover many things in this chapter to continue at Hogwarts in the next one.
Please tell me if you like the war themes it touches, there�s so much I could
write about it that I had to restrain myself. But I would like to know if
you�re interested in stuff like that or if I should just narrow it without
explaining so much about the future war plans.

Thanks for reading and as always, please review! I love to read your
opinions and I value criticisms, so don�t be shy �grin-.

Chapter 25 � Remus� plans & the Dark Allies Meeting

Orion appeared in the middle of his dorm and saw Lezander sitting on his
bed with an extremely worried expression on his face. He surreptitiously cast
glamours for the bruises on his shoulder and the one he felt on his throat. He
maintained his cool fa�ade and approached the bed.

When Lezander saw him he immediately stood up and hugged him tightly,
�What happened? You just vanished! Where did you go? I was so worried!�

�Nothing much, Lez,� replied Orion calmly against Lezander�s neck, �My
portkey activated. Voldemort just wanted to give me an assignment, a small
task.�

Lezander broke from the hug and checked him with concern, �Are you
alright? He didn�t do anything to you? He didn�t hurt you?�

Orion shook his head, �No, he just told me what my task was and
dismissed me.�

Lezander sighed with relief, �Thank Merlin! Ok, let�s get back into
bed.�

Orion stopped Lezander�s movement and said beseechingly, �I�m exhausted,
Lez. I just want to sleep alone tonight.� Then he smiled playfully at him, �I
don�t think I�ll be able to get much sleep if you�re with me, I wouldn�t
control myself. So just for this night, alright?�

�Well, if you�re sure,� said Lezander frowning uncertainly.

�Yes,� replied Orion with a warm smile and then gave him a quick kiss,
�Thank you for understanding.�

Lezander smiled back and nodded, before turning around and getting in
his own bed.

Orion�s smile disappeared and his fa�ade crumbled as soon as Lezander
got into his bed and closed the curtains around it. He shakily moved towards
his bed and burrowed under the covers.

He was dismayed and appalled at what had happened with Voldemort.
Utterly confused and horrified. Merlin, what have I done? � thought Orion in
despair - What possessed me to do that? Morgana help me, this is too much. I
need to- I need to talk to someone�

He took the locket out and after casting his curtains firmly shut and
putting silencing spells around him, he opened it.

He didn�t wait for Tom�s greeting and he rushed out, �I think I�m going
mad, Tom. It�s too weird. Merlin, I don�t even know why I�m telling you
this. But you�re the only to whom I can talk about it. I don�t know what came
over me. I saw him and then I saw you in him�.� Orion shook his head and said
desperately, �I wasn�t ready to meet him so soon, not after recently
discovering that you�re him. But at first I didn�t see you in him. He was as
brutal as always but then he changed,� Orion let out a mirthless bark of
laugher, �But he was still himself, not you really, because he was manipulating
me just as he had done that first time. Hissing softly and caressing gently and
I knew he was playing his little game again but I couldn�t help it. I saw him
differently. I saw you. And Morgana help me, but I was so confused, I�m still
so confused. I don�t know what possessed me. I just wanted to touch him, to
touch you really, because you were finally real.� Orion shook his head again,
�But I was mistaken. He isn�t you. But it�s all so confusing. How can I see you
in him just because he turned gentle? I shouldn�t because he uses his
gentleness to manipulate me. I know it�s not real. But I couldn�t help it, I
just reacted. And I was so horrified afterwards. Merlin, I think he was
horrified himself! He backed away from me, for Morgana�s sake! That�s funny now
that I think about it. The Dark Lord backing away from a caress. If the light
wizards only knew they would simply smother him and puff! Dark Lord dead by
extreme shock. Or perhaps disgust. There�s no way to know� Merlin, what am I
saying?� ended Orion shoving his face in his pillow.

�From what I could discern from your ramblings,� said Tom with
amusement, �I take it that I summoned you and the encounter didn�t go as you
expected?�

Orion looked at him in disbelief, �Didn�t go as I expected? I caressed
Voldemort�s cheek! What do you think? It went horribly! And it wasn�t an
encounter with you! It was an encounter with him and there�s a huge
difference in that!�

Tom cocked an eyebrow and gave him a sly triumphant smirk, �You caressed
me?�

Orion said through gritted teeth, �I didn�t caress you. I
caressed his cheek, nothing else! And stop trying to make me see you in
him because it won�t work!�

Tom smirked at him, �It sounds to me as it already has.�

Orion glared at him and snapped, �This is your fault! Feeding me all
your stories about how Voldemort isn�t so evil and then insisting that he�s
you. You�re trying to confuse me more than I already am! I don�t need you to
tell me that you two are the same. I need you to tell me that you�re different!
And that I shouldn�t see you when I look at him!�

�Why would I tell you that we�re different when that�s not true?�
replied Tom calmly, �And it seems that even you realize this since you were the
one to see it and react to it. There�s nothing wrong with it. You�re finally
breaking through the prejudices you had of him. And that�s a positive thing. It
might be confusing at first but in time you�ll acknowledge that he is
me.�

Orion hissed angrily, �No, he�s not! He was once you but now he�s
twisted in every way. Why do you want me to like him? Don�t you see how he
treats me? I can�t afford to like him! I can�t afford to acknowledge that there
might still be some part of you in him! Because I would be at a disadvantage,
he would use it against me! He doesn�t care for me! He manhandled me today, he
physically hurt me! How can you say that he�s you when he treats me in such a
way?!�

�If I manhandled you it must have been for a good reason,� replied Tom
nonchalantly.

�You and your sodding good reason,� snapped Orion, �You always say that
whatever he does is for a good reason and that�s a lie! There aren�t good
reasons or bad reasons with him, only self-centered reasons! Do you know what
he said to me? The gall of the man! He said I was his possession! He wanted to
dictate who my partner should be! He ordered me to stop seeing Lezander!�

Tom cocked an eyebrow, �Well, I can�t say I disagree with myself, after
all, I�ve been telling you that Lezander isn�t good for you for quite a while.
But pray, why Lezander in particular?�

�Just because he saw the tiny little bite that Lezander gave me!� said
Orion in exasperation, �And he just lost it when he saw it! Started hissing
about marks and that no one had the right to mark me but himself! Can you
believe it? What does he take me for? A cow? That has to be branded with his
owner�s mark? Is he insane?�

Tom let out a small laugh and said, �You�re so na�ve, Orion. Don�t you
see that he lost it, as you put it, because he doesn�t want anyone else to have
you? He wants you for himself. And his possessiveness of you is quite
revealing. He wouldn�t have reacted that way if he didn�t like you.�

Orion snorted, �I don�t know who you�re trying to delude: me or
yourself. He doesn�t like me and he certainly doesn�t care for me! He thinks of
me as a thing! A thing that he believes he owns and doesn�t want anyone else
touching. Well, I�m not a thing! And I�m certainly not his!!�

Tom smirked at him and said under his breath, �You don�t know how wrong
you are.�

But Orion heard him and he asked angrily, �And what�s that supposed to
mean? Are you saying that I�m a thing?�

�No,� said Tom with a small smile and glinting eyes, �You�re definitely
not a thing.�

Orion narrowed his eyes and hissed angrily, �So you�re implying that I�m
his!�

�I�m not implying anything,� retorted Tom dismissively, �You�re
overreacting to the whole situation. So I got mad at you and said you were
mine. It was something I said in anger, surely. You don�t have to take it
literally.�

�Stop referring to him as you!� hissed Orion, �I won�t speak to you
anymore if you continue to do that! I won�t allow you to manipulate my thoughts
in such a way!�

Tom sighed in exasperation, �Fine. I won�t do it again. But you must
understand that it�s really hard for me to not think of him as myself and to
not talk in first-person.�

�You�ve been doing a pretty decent job all these years,� snapped Orion
angrily, �I think you can manage!�

�Alright,� said Tom rolling his eyes, �So he got mad at you and
said some things you didn�t like.� Then he added sarcastically, �I think you�ll
survive.�

Orion huffed in exasperation. There was really no point in trying to
make Tom understand the seriousness of the situation. �Look, all I�m saying is
that I hate it when he treats me like one of his minions. Since the beginning I
told him that I want to be his equal. I won�t stand to be treated as anything
else!�

Tom drawled arrogantly, �He�ll never consider you his equal.�

�And why is that?� snapped Orion angrily, �I�m powerful enough!�

�You believe that you�re equal in power to Lord Voldemort just because
of your display of dark magic at Azkaban?� asked Tom snidely, �A display of
accidental magic that you have no way of reproducing?�

Orion replied quietly, �I�ve been practicing, just as you suggested,
Tom. I�m capable of some control now and I�ll master it in time.�

Tom narrowed his eyes at him, �You never told me that.�

�I would have told you eventually,� retorted Orion dismissively.

�Well, it doesn�t matter. Even if what you say is true and you can be as
powerful as him, he�ll never willingly acknowledge it,� replied Tom earnestly.

�Then I will make him admit it!� hissed Orion.

Tom looked at him in concern, �You can�t antagonize him openly, Orion.
You are powerful but you�re still young. He has decades of experience and a
deep and vast knowledge of the Dark Arts. Those are his advantages over you. If
you confront him, he�ll harm you to put you in your place.�

�But he needs to see that I�m powerful enough to be his equal, Tom!�
said Orion impatiently.

�I think he knows already, that�s why he�s so interested in you. But
he�ll outmaneuver you every time to be on top of the game,� interjected Tom,
�You have to tread very carefully around him. Show him that you�re powerful but
don�t defy him openly, don�t give him reasons to attack you.�

�How can I not defy him when he spouts ridiculous and twisted ideas
about owning me? I won�t allow him to treat me that way!� said Orion in
frustration.

Tom cocked an eyebrow, �Did he torture you? Did he threaten to kill
Lezander if you didn�t obey him? And in the end, after your row with him, did
he insisted that you obeyed his commands?�

Orion frowned and replied, �No. But that was only because of the whole
cheek-caressing-thing. He was too disgusted and horrified by it. He just wanted
me to leave as quickly as possible.�

Tom smirked at him, �I don�t think he was disgusted by it. But anyway,
my point is that he didn�t treat you as a possession in the end, did he?�

�Because he was in shock!� replied Orion with conviction, �I�m sure that
as soon as he gets his senses back, he�ll start hissing again that I�m his!�

�Perhaps, but you can�t take offense,� replied Tom nonchalantly, �You�ll
have to wait and see how he conducts himself next time.�

�Fine,� replied Orion moodily, �That�s what I�ll do. But he has another
thing coming if he thinks that I won�t fight him every step of the way if he
keeps treating me like he did today!�

Tom gave him a sly smirk, �I�m sure he�ll enjoy the challenge. I know I
would.�

Orion rolled his eyes and bid Tom a good-night as he shut the locket.
It�s a miracle if I don�t go bonkers, thought Orion wryly as he fell as sleep,
as if one Voldemort wasn�t enough! Now I have to put up with two! Of all the
sneaky twists of fate and I just had to get both of them at the same time!

The following day, some students started leaving the castle for their
Christmas holiday week. Calypso was returning to Durmstrang to spend some time
with her father while Lezander would be going back to his Clan. Draco and Orion
would be portkeying with Narcissa to Malfoy Manor and from there they would
floo to Moscow.

Calypso and Lezander had already left and Orion was wondering around the
castle, spending the hour left before Narcissa came to pick them up. He was
rather excited about the holidays. He had finally received a letter from Remus
where he asked to meet him at Black Manor and he was very curious about how
Remus was doing with the werewolf packs. And now, for the first time, he was
looking forward to the winter season�s balls. He just hoped Draco and he would
be included in some of the adults� meetings.

As he walked through a corridor, looking with interest at some of the
portraits, he caught sight of purple robes from the corner of his eye. He
inwardly groaned. He had been very careful in avoiding Dumbledore but it seemed
that the old coot was taking the opportunity of ambushing him while the castle
was partly deserted.

�My dear boy,� said Dumbledore merrily as he approached Orion, �What a
happy coincidence that I stumbled upon you. Would you join me for tea while you
wait for your guardian?�

Orion mentally snorted. Coincidence my broomstick! He shot the portraits
a nasty look. One of them surely alerted Dumbledore of his presence in this
corridor.

He looked up at Dumbledore and said with a smile, �Of course,
Headmaster. I would be delighted.�

Dumbledore�s eyes twinkled and he said merrily, �Excellent. My office is
this way.�

Orion followed Dumbledore in silence while the old man happily babbled
about something or other, until they stopped before a large and extremely ugly
stone gargoyle. As soon as Dumbledore stepped in front of it, the gargoyle
sprang to life and hopped aside as the wall behind him split in two. Even
dreading his conversation with Dumbledore, Orion couldn't fail to be amazed.
Behind the wall was a spiral staircase that was moving smoothly upward, like an
escalator. As he and Dumbledore stepped onto it, Orion heard the wall thud
closed behind them. They rose upward in circles, higher and higher, until at
last, Orion saw a gleaming oak door ahead, with a brass knocker in the shape of
a griffin.

They stepped off the stone staircase at the top, and the door opened
silently before Dumbledore. Orion followed him inside and inspected the office.
It was a large and beautiful circular room, full of funny little noises. A
number of curious silver instruments stood on spindle-legged tables, whirring
and emitting little puffs of smoke. As Orion looked around he wondered where
the old goat had the Invisibility Cloak stashed.

The walls were covered with portraits of old headmasters and
headmistresses, all of whom were eyeing him in interest. Orion saw Phineas but
neither acknowledged each other, as it should be since Dumbledore was watching
him like a hawk. There was also an enormous, claw-footed desk, and, sitting on
a shelf behind it, a shabby, tattered wizard's hat � which Orion realized had
to be the famous Sorting Hat. And standing on a golden perch behind the door
was a decrepit-looking bird that resembled a half-plucked turkey.

Orion moved towards it and stared at it in interest. The bird looked
balefully back, making a gagging noise. Its eyes were dull and, even as Orion
watched, a couple more feathers fell out of its tail.

�He is Fawkes,� said Dumbledore behind his back, �He�s a-�

�A phoenix,� cut in Orion nodding his head, �And he�s in one of his
burning days.�

As he said those words the phoenix burst into flames and with one last
shriek there was nothing but a smoldering pile of ash, with a tiny bald head poking
from it.

Orion turned around and Dumbledore motioned for him to take a seat.

"It's a shame you had to see him on a burning day," said
Dumbledore seating himself behind his desk. "He's really very handsome
most of the time, wonderful red and gold plumage.� Then he added with a smile,
�But you already know about phoenixes, after all, you have a phoenix patronus,
which is most unique. But having two, a phoenix and a basilisk, is quite
remarkable.�

Orion had taken a seat on one of the plush armchairs in front of
Dumbledore�s desk and he tensed at the words. He took the cup of tea that
Dumbledore had conjured for him and pretended to give it a sip. Who knew what
the old man had put inside; he didn�t put it pass the old coot to have dosed
his tea with Veritaserum.

He settled the cup down and said loftily, �Yes, I was quite surprised
myself. Could never cast them back, though. Must have been due to the
circumstances.�

Dumbledore fixed Orion with his penetrating light-blue stare from behind
the desk. He suddenly and swiftly moved forwards over the desk and caught
Orion�s left arm while lifting his sleeve. He saw nothing but smooth unmarred
skin.

Orion wrenched his arm from Dumbledore�s grasp and hissed furiously,
�HOW DARE YOU?!�

As Dumbledore settled back on his high chair, he said unfazed, �Forgive
me, my boy, but I had to make sure.�

Orion glared at him and Dumbledore slightly narrowed his eyes at Orion�s
right hand and said, �That ring contains dark magic, my child. I think it would
be safer for you to get rid of it.�

Orion withdrew his hand from Dumbledore�s desk top and said scathingly,
�Of course it has dark magic. It�s the Black Heir ring, a family heirloom. My
dear father gave it to me and I�ll always wear it. Remember my father,
Dumbledore?�

Dumbledore sighed and assumed a sorrowful expression, �I was very sorry
for what happened to your father, Orion. I knew him as a boy. He was one of my
favorites and I loved him dearly-�

Orion bristled and bellowed, �DON�T YOU DARE SAY THAT YOU LOVED MY
FATHER WHEN YOU PARTICIPATED IN HIS CAPTURE! WHEN YOU ALLOWED THE DEMENTORS TO
KISS HIM!�

Dumbledore gave him a sad look and said gently, �Your father was a Death
Eater, my boy, the Aurors checked his arm and saw the Dark Mark. I could not
have prevented his capture even if I would have liked to.�

�You knew that Pettigrew was alive! I�m sure Snape told you as soon as
he saw you,� said Orion furiously, �And even knowing that my father was
innocent of the crimes he was convicted for, you allowed the Aurors to take
him! You could have stopped them! You could have told them that Pettigrew was
alive!�

Dumbledore looked at him pityingly over his half-moon spectacles,
�Regrettably, your father was unbalanced due to his years in Azkaban and he
turned to the Dark side, my boy. It pained me greatly, but it had to be done.
It was for the best. A Death Eater can�t be allowed to interact with civil
society.�

�And whose fault was it that my father spent ten year in Azkaban?�
hissed Orion as his hands clenched into fists, �Who was it that didn�t lift a
finger to give him a trial? As a member of the Wizengamot you had the power to
request one. And yet, you did nothing! If he was one of your favorites, as you
say, why didn�t you help him?!�

Dumbledore sighed and said softly, �Those were dangerous times, my
child. Everyone suspected everyone else and it was very difficult to tell who
was a Death Eater. The evidence against your father was so conclusive�� Then he
added sorrowfully, �I admit that I made a mistake. I will carry that cross for the
rest of my life.�

�As you should,� spat Orion angrily, �But admitting that you were in the
wrong doesn�t change the fact that you had the chance to make up for your
mistake and help my father this time and you didn�t. He might have been a Death
Eater but he had committed no crime!�

�He escaped from Azkaban,� replied Dumbledore quietly, �Even if it was
proved that Pettigrew was alive, your father was still a convicted wizard that
broke from Azkaban-�

�Where he didn�t belong in the first place!� snapped Orion angrily.

�Even so,� said Dumbledore gently, �it�s still a crime punishable by
wizarding law.�

Orion fumed furiously in silence. There was no point in discussing the
subject with Dumbledore. The old man would say anything to excuse his own
behavior and no matter what he said, Orion would not be swayed from his
conviction that Dumbledore was a manipulative old bastard that deserved the
worst of fates.

Dumbledore took his silence for agreement and then changed subjects,
�How are your guardians treating you, my boy?�

Orion looked at him suspiciously, �I�m very happy with the Malfoys.
Draco and I have become good friends.�

�I�m glad that they are taking good care of you,� said Dumbledore with
twinkling eyes, �I was rather surprised that they asked for your guardianship.�

Orion replied smoothly, �I was surprised as well. I had never met them
before but Mrs. Malfoy told me that she felt it was her duty since she is my
last living relative.�

Dumbledore smiled at him, �Dear Mrs. Malfoy, just as enchanting as her
sister. You might be happy to learn that the excellent Mrs. Tonks was also
interested in being your guardian.�

Orion looked at him in faked surprise, �She was? I assume that Mrs.
Tonks is Mrs. Malfoy�s sister?�

Dumbledore nodded, �She�s Andromeda Tonks, nee Black, and has a lovely
family. I think you would get along splendidly well with her daughter
Nymphadora.� He chuckled benignly and added, �She�s quite a character, very fun
to be around.�

Orion nodded silently wondering when the old man would get to the point.
He didn�t have to wonder for long as Dumbledore kept speaking, �They would have
provided you with an excellent environment. I believe your father would have
preferred that you were living with a light family. I know that he had wished
that for himself and I believe that he would have wanted that for you.�

Orion inwardly bristled but said calmly, �Perhaps you�re right. But
there isn�t much that can be done about it now.�

Dumbledore�s eyes twinkled as he said, �My dear boy, if you wanted to
change guardians you would only need to submit to the Ministry a signed
document expressing your wish to be taken care by the Tonks.�

Orion smiled at him, �Thank you for the information, but the Malfoys are
taking excellent care of me. I have nothing to complain about. I�m quite happy
with them.�

�Very well,� replied Dumbledore calmly, �Just remember that you have the
option if you change your mind in the future. You might feel more comfortable
with a light family instead of a dark one.�

Orion looked at the old man and said sweetly, �I�ll remember. Thank you
for your concern.�

Dumbledore�s eyes twinkled at him and Orion wished he could rip them out
of their sockets and make the old man choke on them. While Orion envisioned
many tempting scenarios in his mind, Dumbledore said impassively, �I believe
that the Malfoys are taking you to Moscow for the winter season?�

�If that is what they have planned, they haven�t told me yet,� replied
Orion smoothly, �But I hope not. I�ve heard that those balls are quite tedious.
It would be quite a bore in my opinion.�

Dumbledore slightly narrowed his eyes at him but said merrily, �Well,
I�m sure you�ll have a fantastic time anyway.�

Orion smiled, �Perhaps I will.�

After a pause of silence Dumbledore said with a grandfatherly smile, �I
was quite impressed with the transfiguration abilities you displayed during the
First Task. I must commend you for it.�

�Thank you,� replied Orion, �My father was very good at Transfiguration,
I believe he passed it on to me.�

�Indeed,� retorted Dumbledore, �He was a top student in Professor
McGonagall�s class. It�s a pity that she won�t have the pleasure of teaching
you when you return to Durmstrang.�

Orion eyed him speculatively and replied, �I�ll miss her class. She�s an
excellent teacher.�

Dumbledore�s eyes twinkled as he said, �I was surprised that your father
sent you to Durmstrang instead of Hogwarts. He had great fun during his school
years. He and James Potter were quite popular. I�m glad that you had the chance
to come here and see Hogwarts for yourself. What do you think of the school?�

�I like it so far,� replied Orion already knowing where this was headed,
�it�s quite different from Durmstrang but it�s nice.�

Dumbledore smiled at him, �Now that the Malfoys are your guardians and
that you�re friends with Draco, maybe they would like you to attend Hogwarts.
And I�m sure your father would have liked it as well. You would enjoy it as
much as he did in his days.�

It was just what Orion had expected so he simply replied, �I don�t know
if the Malfoys are planning a change of schools for me but I would prefer to
stay at Durmstrang. I already have good friends there.�

�Friends are very important, indeed. A good friendship is one of the
delights of life,� replied Dumbledore with a grandfatherly smile, �I�m sure you
could have great friends at Hogwarts as well. Your own father met his best
friends here. As thick as thieves they were.�

Orion, already extremely tired of Dumbledore using his father at every
instant to manipulate him, snapped, �Not that it did him much good, did it? One
of them betrayed them, one of them died, and the other didn�t believe in his
innocence until it was too late! I think I�ll stick with Durmstrang. Thanks.�

Before Dumbledore could reply, Orion made a show of looking at his
wristwatch and said, �Oh, look at the time!� He stood up and said politely,
�Thank you for tea, Headmaster. I wish you a happy Christmas.�

Dumbledore smiled at him benignly, �Thank you, my boy. Merry Christmas
to you too. I hope we have another opportunity to have tea in the future.�

Orion strained his face to smile warmly at him, �I hope so too.� Then he
spun around and left the office.

It was clear to him now that he couldn�t put in action his plan to tell
Dumbledore that he was Harry Potter in order to gain information on the Order
of the Phoenix and the prophecy. He had never been too sure about that plan,
the risks were great, but he had considered it as a possibility. But now it
would be completely disregarded. The old man was too controlling. If even just
as Orion Black, the old coot already wanted to send him to the Tonks and bring
him to Hogwarts, then as Harry Potter he would be powerless to prevent it,
Dumbledore would move mountains to get his way. No, he would never tell
Dumbledore. He would have to find another way to get information.

As soon as Orion reached his dormitory he quickly scrawled a note for
Draco telling him to wait for him and left the piece of parchment on his bed.
He quickly took out his wand and activated the portkey.

He landed in the middle of Voldemort�s study. The wizard was sitting
behind his desk, writing on a long parchment as he leafed through the pages of
one of the many documents and plans on his desk.

He raised his face to look at Orion, arched an enquiring eyebrow and
said coldly, �You have something to report already?�

Orion moved forwards until he stood in front of Voldemort�s desk and
said urgently without looking into the wizard�s eyes, �Not on the task that you
gave me but I think this is important. Dumbledore took me to his office for a
chat and he was fishing for information about Moscow.� He paused uncertainly
but then added, �I think he suspects that something will be going on there. He
wanted to know if the Malfoys were going.�

Voldemort rested his back on his high chair and looked at him with his
piercing crimson eyes, �And what do you think Dumbledore suspects?�

Orion frowned, �About the gatherings, of course, and the meetings that
will take place there.�

Voldemort narrowed his eyes at him and asked curtly, �And who told you
about the meetings?�

Orion paled, �Er- no one. Narcissa told me that we were going to Moscow
and that the Lestranges were going as well. So I thought that if the Lestranges
were going then it must be because there would be meetings-�

Voldemort interrupted him and said in clipped angry tones, �Don�t lie to
me. Who told you?�

Orion heaved a breath and said, �Draco.� Then he rushed out, �But it
wasn�t his fault. I battered him until he had no choice but to tell me. He
adamantly refused to tell but I was too persistent and-�

Voldemort raised a hand and said sternly, �Enough! I won�t punish Draco
for telling you. The Malfoys would have told you eventually so there�s no harm
done.�

Orion sighed in relief and Voldemort added curtly, �Now, you say that
the old man took you to his office. What did he want with you?�

Orion carded his fingers through his hair, �Many things. But the most
important was that he checked my arm for the Dark Mark. I don�t know why he
suspects me...� He shot Voldemort a quick look and said, �You have a spy in
your ranks. That would explain why he suspects me and why he knows about
Moscow.� He frowned and added, �And it isn�t Snape. He has never seen me here
and the other Death Eaters would have never told him about me.�

Voldemort cocked an eyebrow and asked quietly, �And why do you think
Snape is another spy?�

Orion hesitated. He didn�t want to get Snape in trouble but the truth
was that Voldemort needed to know that Snape was passing information to
Dumbledore. So he said carefully, �I think he walks a fine line between you and
Dumbledore. I think he passes information to the both of you and therefore he
can�t be trusted for now. But he�s still valuable. You have never summoned him
when I�m here so I guess that you know this already.� He paused and then asked,
�Does Snape know about the gatherings?�

Voldemort replied quietly, �He doesn�t. I�m taking all security
measures.� Then he pierced Orion with his eyes and said, �What else did
Dumbledore want?�

�He has taken an interest in me,� said Orion sourly, �He said that I
would be better living with the Tonks instead of the Malfoys and then implied
that I should attend Hogwarts.� Then he added as he started pacing the room,
�It�s obvious that he wants me in his clutches but I don�t know why. It could
be because he saw that I was powerful the night I went to Hogwarts to help my
father but he has never seen my true power, not like you have, so there must be
something else. Or maybe he simply wants to get as many allies as he can. After
all, having a Black on his side would reassure some dark families if they
wanted to change sides. And it would be seen as a victory by the Light side. It
worries me, this interest he has in turning me to the Light side. I have to
practice great restrain when I�m around him. He�s so manipulative and
controlling that I just want to curse him into the next millennium. If he keeps
ambushing me to have tea I might just snap and ��

�Orion!� said Voldemort sharply to stop his ramblings. Orion turned
around to look at him and Voldemort continued, �I knew already that Dumbledore
would be interested in you. But he can do nothing to remove you from the
Malfoys or to have you at Hogwarts. So there�s no cause for concern.� Then he
added with a malicious smirk, �As for cursing him, well, I share your
sentiment, but you�ll have to put on your best mask and suffer him in silence.�

Orion sighed and nodded. Then he looked at Voldemort and said, �Well,
that was all I had to report.�

Voldemort nodded but remained silently regarding Orion. Voldemort
carefully inspected the boy who hadn�t looked into his eyes once. He wondered
why Orion couldn�t meet his eyes. He remembered yesterday�s confrontation, he
remembered the lost and confused expression on the boy�s face while they looked
into each other�s eyes, just after he had started manipulating the boy with his
caress and hisses. He was still startled at his own reaction when he saw the
boy�s bite mark. All his followers were his to command, that was true, but he
had never felt that flare of possessiveness towards any of his followers
before. The way he had reacted to the boy, it revealed a weakness that could be
exploited by others. They boy was nothing to him after all. He was a tool in
his hands, a worthy follower that needed to be molded. The boy was beautiful
and extremely powerful, that was true, but he was merely one more pawn in his
plans.

Voldemort inwardly smirked. How easily he could manipulate the boy with
caresses and silky hisses. The boy�s shivers proved that he was susceptible to
them. He would use it to make Orion bow at his feet. The boy will learn to obey
and respect him. He had to have Orion completely ensnared in his thrall; such a
powerful creature couldn�t belong to anyone else but him. And there was still
much that had to be changed in Orion to make him a perfect follower. The boy
had too much innocence, too much compassion. He remembered Orion�s horror at
what he had done to the Ministry�s witch. That needed to be changed. Orion was
to become one of his Death Eaters, probably the most powerful one. The boy
needed to be cold-hearted and ruthless. He would have to start shaping Orion
into a ruthless and obedient Death Eater, so that in time he could be in his
Inner Circle. And he had other plans for the boy as well.

He shrewdly inspected the boy again and smirked maliciously. Yes, the
boy was powerful, exquisitely so. The dark magic he had felt coming off in
waves from the boy in Azkaban was truly enticing and flabbergasting. Never had
felt such raw dark power. Maybe he should reevaluate what he wanted to do with
Orion. He knew Lucius wanted to attach the boy to his spawn. The Malfoy brat
and Orion would certainly produce a powerful heir but it would also be a waste
to marry Orion to Lucius� boy. Orion was much more powerful than the Malfoy
whelp. Voldemort impassively trailed his eyes over Orion. The boy was extremely
beautiful, young perhaps but that mattered little when he held such power in
his lithe body. Orion needed to be paired with someone that had just as much
power or more. He had never deigned to have a consort before, he had never
found anyone powerful enough to be his match, and he had taken measures to be
immortal. Eventually he would need to have an heir and train him to rule at his
side. Once he conquered the wizarding world he would never relinquish his hold
over it but his bloodline had to continue. He couldn�t allow Salazar�s great
bloodline to end with him. And maybe this boy could be the means to accomplish
it. He smirked in satisfaction. But first, Orion had to be molded; broken and
fixed up to his liking. All in good time�

Orion resisted the impulse to squirm under Voldemort�s scarlet gaze.
There was a calculating and devious glint in Voldemort�s eyes that he didn�t
like at all. He wondered what the wizard was plotting. He uneasily waited for
Voldemort to finish his appraisal and say something.

After a few more tense moments for Orion, Voldemort said dismissively,
returning to his reading, �You may leave.�

Orion nodded and took out his wand to point it at his ring. Then he
paused, shot Voldemort a glance and asked, �What will you do about Dumbledore
knowing about the meetings? And about the unknown spy?�

�That�s not your concern,� replied Voldemort coldly, without looking at
him, �Now leave. I have work to do.�

Orion shot him a glare before disappearing from Voldemort�s study.

As he appeared in his dormitory, Orion thought that his first meeting
after the Incident, as he called yesterday�s summon, had gone rather well. He
had not even once thought of Voldemort as Tom. Well, that could also be because
he had not even dared to look at Voldemort in the eye. When Orion had looked at
him he had concentrated on the man�s forehead or chin, anywhere except his
crimson eyes. But Orion was quite satisfied nonetheless. He just had to keep
doing that and he could easily meet Voldemort without problems and he could
happily continue his existence considering Voldemort and Tom as two separate
entities, just like it should be. And Tom had been right, Voldemort hadn�t said
anything about owning him or some such absurdity. He seemed completely
uninterested in him in a personal level. Which was completely fine as far as he
was concerned. But on the other hand, Voldemort had looked at him in a
calculating way. Well, whatever Voldemort was planning he would eventually find
out and oppose it if it didn�t benefit him. Let Voldemort believe that he only
wanted to be his follower and become his equal in power. But he wanted much
more. He wanted to be powerful enough so that Voldemort could never dominate
him, never attempt to rule his life. Voldemort might be the Dark Lord but he
would become someone important and powerful as well. He would make sure of it.

Draco who was in the middle of Orion�s dorm, with arms crossed above his
chest, said impatiently, �Where have you been? Mother has been waiting for us
at the entrance for ten minutes already.�

�Sorry,� replied Orion, �I just had something to do�� Then he remembered
something and cursed. He went to his trunk and retrieved the book. He turned to
look at Draco and said, �Can you take my trunk with you? I�ll see you at the
entrance. I won�t take long.� He didn�t wait for a reply and ran out towards
Snape�s office.

He knocked on the door and heard a muffled and exasperated �Enter� from
the inside. He quickly opened the door and entered the room. Snape�s office had
endless shelves along the walls filled with books, glass jars containing weird
animal parts and ingredients, and strange instruments which Orion guessed were
used for potion-making. It was gloomy and dark, and strongly smelled of aconite
and wormwood.

Snape was sitting behind a desk, slightly hunched over a book he was
reading while taking notes on a parchment, with his veil of long greasy hair
covering part of his face and almost reaching the desk�s top. He lifted his
face and scowled darkly when he saw Orion.

�What do you want, Black?� snapped Snape irritably.

Orion advanced forwards and with a loud thud placed the Half-Blood
Prince book in front of Snape, right under his hooked nose.

�I came to return this to you, sir,� said Orion calmly, �I thought you
would like it back.�

Snape frowned and looked at the book. His eyes widened and he sharply
looked back at Orion and hissed furiously, �Where did you get this?�

�From your shelf, during that first class of Potions with the Slytherins
and Gryffindors,� replied Orion nonchalantly, �Quite an interesting read.�

Snape sneered at him, �I doubt that you understood anything that was
written in there. It�s a NEWT level Potions textbook, way out of your limited
scope of understanding.�

Orion cocked an eyebrow and smirked, �Oh, I wasn�t referring to the
potion brewing instructions, though those were interesting as well. No, I meant
the dark spells. Your dark spells.�

Snape narrowed his eyes dangerously and hissed, �I don�t know what
you�re implying, Black. This is only a used textbook of some old student. If
there are any spells written in here I�m sure they are for play and don�t
actually work.�

Orion calmly took a seat in front of Snape�s desk and then took his time
to regard him in silence. Snape was looking back at him with an increasingly
darkening scowl, �I didn�t invite you to seat down, Black! Now get out of my
office!�

Orion leaned forward over the desk, and with his face just inches away
from Snape�s, he said quietly, �It is a great book. The dark spells are
remarkable. The person who created them is brilliant and I think we both know
who that person is. I returned it to you because it could cause you problems if
anyone else found it.� Then he looked directly into Snape�s black eyes and said
in a low whisper, �You�re a Prince, the last one, and you�re turning your back
to your own blood. You�re allowing Dumbledore to manipulate you. You�ll have to
choose sides soon and I hope you don�t betray your own kind.�

Snape sharply stood up and looked down at Orion with a fierce
expression. He snarled, �I don�t know what you�re talking about, Black. But I
see you�re poking your nose at other people�s business, just as arrogantly and
impudently as your disgusting mutt of a father-�

Orion forcefully grabbed Snape by the collar and hissed, green eyes
flashing in anger, �I�ve put up with your derogatory comments about my father
for a very long time, Snape. But I�ve just had it. I�ve forgiven you for your
part in my father�s capture. But don�t push me-�

Snape wrenched Orion�s hand away from his collar and sneered, looking
down at him from his hooked nose, �As if I care that an insolent little whelp
like you forgave me or not. Your father was a Death Eater and deserved his
fate. He betrayed-�

�He betrayed no one,� hissed Orion with narrowed eyes, �And as for being
a Death Eater. So are you. Though not one at heart, are you? You need to
reconsider your true allegiance. Dumbledore is using you, turning you against
our kind. How can you, a Prince, turn against your blood and ancestors - �

Snape had narrowed his eyes into vicious slits and interrupted him by
roughly grasping him by the collar of his robes. Snape dragged him through the
office and wrenched the door open.

�Out!� hissed Snape furiously while pushing Orion through the threshold,
�Never come into my office again!�

Orion stumbled out of the office while the door clashed shut behind him.
Well, that hadn�t gone well at all, thought Orion wryly as he walked to the
entrance hall. He wasn�t concerned about Snape telling Dumbledore about their
little chat. It didn�t incriminate him at all. He had only revealed that he
considered himself dark, which due to his bloodline Dumbledore already knew,
and that he knew that Snape was a Death Eater, but Sirius could have easily
told him that, so again, it didn�t indicate that he was Voldemort�s follower.
But Snape needed to come to their side. There had to be a way. Well, the only
way would be to reveal that he was Harry Potter and to convince him that
Dumbledore manipulated his love for Lily to keep him loyal. Orion sighed. He
couldn�t do that yet. Voldemort would need to know before Snape and he wasn�t
ready to disclose his true identity to him. But would Snape change sides just
because he was Harry Potter? Could he convince him?

Besides removing Snape�s blind to Dumbledore�s manipulations, which
Snape had to be aware of at some level, the fact that the Boy Who Lived was on
the Dark side could also sway Snape. Snape was a survivor after all. He
wouldn�t cast his lot with the losing side. And the Light side without the Boy
Who Lived was weaker in comparison. Orion sighed again, so many things to do,
so many plans. And what would happen when his identity was revealed? What would
Voldemort and Dumbledore do? How would the wizarding world react? He could see
it already. Voldemort torturing him until he was satisfied that he was truly on
his side; Dumbledore attempting to get his clutches on him, wanting him to be
at Hogwarts under his thumb; the wizarding world horrified that he was dark but
nonetheless demanding that he took the mantle as their Savior. And all because
of a prophecy that he knew now existed. The wizarding world didn�t know about
it, but they knew that he had defeated Voldemort once and therefore expected
him to do it again; never mind what he truly wanted, never mind that he was
just a boy. He was expected to give his life for them. Orion snorted. He would
play hero for no one. Even less for a bunch of light wizards that wanted to
cowardly crouch behind a boy. Wizards that would happily see dead his own kind.

Dumbledore was the biggest threat of all. According to what Snape had
said in his vision, Dumbledore was preparing Neville for the role that he had
hoped Harry Potter would have fulfilled. When Dumbledore discovered that the
Boy Who Lived was alive and kicking, he would snatch him immediately. He was a
thousands times more powerful than Neville. The old goat would rejoice in his
good luck. Dumbledore would indubitably try to brainwash him against the Dark.
He would use his father�s and his mother�s memory. He would take him out of
Durmstrang! Orion wearily rubbed his forehead. Damn that prophecy! What did it
say?! Why did Dumbledore place such faith in it?! And how on Earth will he ever
be able to discover it?! Orion took a deep breath and calmed down. Whatever it
said he would not allow anyone to use him. He was powerful already, he would be
even more powerful when he managed to control his dark magic better. He would
stand up to Dumbledore, Voldemort and the whole wizarding world if he needed
to. And Tom would help him, he would guide him. But Tom was Voldemort�Tom! He
hadn�t even thought of asking him about the prophecy! Orion frowned. But Tom
was only twenty years old or so and Snape had told Voldemort about the prophecy
sometime before the night of the attack on the Potters. So Voldemort had been
around fifty at that time. Tom wouldn�t know about the prophecy. Orion sighed. Well, somehow he
would find out.

He meet a scowling Draco and a patient Narcissa by Hogwarts� entrance
doors and they portkeyed with the trunks to Malfoy Manor. Orion quickly went to
his room and snatched Phineas� shrunk portrait and placed it inside one of his
trunks. Then he helped the mediwitch floo with Sirius to Moscow, grateful that
Narcissa had decided to take Sirius with them for Orion�s peace of mind. After
settling Sirius in a room besides his and after dismissing the elves that had
unpacked his belongings, Orion notified to Narcissa that he would be spending
an hour at Black Manor to ascertain that the elves were keeping the place as he
had instructed, before coming back and getting ready for the evening�s ball.

As soon as Orion stepped out of the fireplace of Black Manor�s main
parlor, he checked the time. Remus wouldn�t be arriving in another fifteen
minutes. He looked around and hated the empty feeling of the Manor. There was
no Sirius to greet him with a warm hug and barking laughter. No father to tell
his worries or to playfully annoy. Orion sighed. The place didn�t feel like
home anymore, not without Sirius. He slowly walked towards Sirius� study. He
had instructed the elves to keep it clean but untouched and he hadn�t dared to
enter after his father�s death. He stood uncertain before the door. The
memories would be painful to bear. But perhaps he needed this. He opened the
door slowly and went inside. It was just like Sirius had left it. He could even
pretend that his father was somewhere else in the Manor and that he would be coming
back shortly into the study. Orion approached the desk and sorrowfully touched
his father�s belongings. He could almost hear Sirius� laughter echoing in the
room.

He sat down on his father�s high chair behind the desk and looked around
despondently. He closed his eyes and rested his back on the chair. As sorrowful
and depressing thoughts entered his mind, he became aware of a tingling of
magic. He opened his eyes abruptly. He had felt a nearby concentration of
wards. He frowned and passed his hand over the desk. There! The magic came from
the last drawer. He took out his wand and started tearing down the wards. The
last one was based on blood magic. He used a letter opener and pinched his
finger. He pushed the fingertip against the drawer and smudged his blood on it,
and with a click the drawer opened. Orion�s eyes widened when he saw his
father�s pensieve inside. He hadn�t given it a thought! As soon as his fingers
touched the rim, a piece of parchment popped into existence, hovering in mid
air in front of his face. Orion blinked in surprise and grasped it. The blood
drained from his face and tears started streaming from his eyes as he read it.

My young pup,

I�m writing this as I get ready to go to
Hogwarts once more. If you�re reading this then forgive me for breaking my
promise to you but I can�t idly stay at the Manor while I know that your
mother�s and James� betrayer remains free and unpunished. I hope you understand
that I need to do this. I�m aware of the risks involved, that�s why I�m leaving
my most precious memories behind, in case I get captured by the Dementors or
that Peter takes me to Voldemort. I don�t want them to take these memories away
from me; all my memories of my friends, all my times with Lily, and all my
memories of you, I leave behind because I treasure them above anything else.

I know we�ve never seen eye to eye about
Voldemort and the war, but I want you to know that whatever path you choose
I�ll be proud of you because I know you�ll make the right choices. You have
your own destiny to fulfill and I know you�ll be great.

Whatever happens to me, remember that I love
you more than life itself. You gave me a reason for living when I thought I had
nothing left. You�ve made me so proud and happy that I have blessed each moment
that we have spent together. Please don�t worry about me and enjoy your life.

I�ll always love you.

Your father,

Sirius

Orion dropped the letter on the desk and with blurred vision looked down
at his father�s pensieve. It was full at the brim with silvery swirling
memories. Half his father�s life seemed to be there. He could only be grateful
that his father had taken the precaution of leaving his best memories behind
because the Dementor would not feed on them. He would be able to place them
back once he rescued his father�s soul and resurrected him. After that last
thought, he broke into heaving sobs and sagged against the desk. His father had
known about the risks, he hadn�t acted recklessly as Orion had once believed.
Then why had Sirius preferred to risk his life to get revenge instead of being
safe and remaining at his son�s side? He didn�t understand.

�Orion?� said a concerned and gentle voice.

Orion lifted his tear-stained face and saw Remus standing in the study�s
threshold. When Remus saw his face his alarm grew and he quickly crossed the
room and knelt by his side.

Remus cupped Orion�s face and said softly, �What happened? Why are you
crying?�

Orion merely sobbed harder and with shaky hands he gave the letter to
Remus. The older wizard�s eyes widened as he read the letter and then they
filled with unshed tears.

�Oh, my cub,� said Remus with a shaky voice as he embraced Orion and
pulled him to the floor with him.

�He k-knew, Re-mus,� said Orion between sobs against Remus� chest, �He
w-was aware of the d-danger. But he lef-ft me. H-he abandoned m-e. He preferred
to exa-ct his re-venge ins-tead of taking care of me, instead of lo-ving me -�

�He loved you more than life itself, cub,� said Remus tremulously while
he tightened the embrace and stroked Orion�s hair, �But Sirius was always very
restless. It must have been very hard for him to stay at the Manor while he
knew Peter was at Hogwarts, so near his grasp. You must forgive him, Orion. His
heart was in the right place. He lived only for you but he couldn�t go on while
knowing that Peter remained unpunished. He needed to avenge your mother�s
death. You must understand that his decision doesn�t mean that he loved you any
less.�

Orion grasped Remus� robes and he burrowed further into the werewolf�s
chest. After a while he said in a broken muffled voice, �I think I understand
but it doesn�t hurt less.�

Remus sighed and slowly carded his fingers through the boy�s hair, �The
pain will dull in time, my cub.�

Orion looked up at him, eyes red from crying, and asked softly, �Did it
go away in your case?�

Remus� sad eyes looked into space and he replied quietly, �No. It�s
still there. I don�t think it�ll ever go away but one learns to live with it.
One goes on with his life�� He paused and said with a small smile, �Come, I have
much to tell you.�

Orion nodded and Remus pulled him up from the floor and took him to the
only couch in the study. Orion really looked at Remus for the first time. He
had never seen him so well before. His face wasn�t marred by scars and he
looked younger and healthier.

�You look different,� said Orion quietly while he inspected him, �You
look happy and healthy.�

Remus gave him a soft smile and replied, �I feel happy. It has been a
couple of strange but good months.�

�Then it went well with the werewolf packs?� asked Orion puzzled.

�Yes,� replied Remus with a larger smile, �More than well. I have never
felt this good. It�s hard to explain, cub. I had never formed part of a pack
before. When I went to Hogwarts I transformed alone, except during the last
years, when James and Sirius adopted their animagus form and accompanied me.
And after James and Lily died and Sirius went to Azkaban, I fled from the
country and spend my years hidden in a remote cottage. Those were the worst
years of my life. I had no one and the transformations scared me. I tried to
fight it but it was inevitable and very painful. I hated myself for my
condition. I thought I didn�t deserve to be around normal people. I never
expected the transformation to be any different in a pack.� His eyes glinted as
he continued, �But it�s so different. We don�t take the Wolfbane Potion, none
of us has the money to buy it. We group together during the full moons and
transform at the same time, but there�s this shared feeling of belonging
between us that makes it bearable, almost painless. They don�t fight it, not
like I did. I had to learn to let go of my fears and I finally managed to
transform with minimum pain, with their help. The best part is that when we�re
werewolves together we don�t attack each other or ourselves. There�s this sense
of family that binds us together and appeases the wolf. We merely hunt for
small animals during the night and end up sleeping on the ground, grouped
together and content. It�s marvelous.�

Orion grasped his hand and said with a smile, �I�m so happy for you,
Remus. I�m glad that you�re not denying the wolf any longer. �

�I have you to thank, cub. I would have never gone to them if you hadn�t
convinced me,� said Remus gratefully.

Orion shook his head, �You have nothing to thank me for. I didn�t know
that the transformations were easier when you belonged in a pack.�

Remus smiled warmly at him, �Nevertheless, I thank you.�

Orion shrugged his shoulders and asked, �Tell me more about the packs.�

�There are four in England and more abroad. The pack I went to is
composed by muggle and wizard werewolves,� explained Remus, �The muggle
werewolves manage to have low-income day jobs since werewolves are unknown in
the muggle world, so they provide some money for the pack. They aren�t learned
because they were thrown out of their homes by their families or they fled when
they were bitten and had their first transformation. But together, they manage
to save money for the pack. The wizard ones, however, can never keep a job
unless it�s in the muggle world, since in wizarding communities they�re quickly
detected and turned to the Ministry. As you know, by wizarding law, a werewolf
can�t have employment or be accepted in a magical school. The wizard werewolves
never had the opportunity I had, so I spent most of my time teaching them how
to cast spells. I bought wands for them and gave them my old Hogwarts�
textbooks. We live in tents with basic commodities in a large forest, away from
muggle cities and wizarding communities. We are absolutely isolated from any
other humans for our protection and theirs.� Then he added with a grin, �After
my stay with them they came to consider me as a sort of mentor figure. They
were thrilled to finally learn how to use their magic.�

�So you became their alpha?� asked Orion excitedly.

�I did,� said Remus with a content smile, �They look up to me for
guidance since I�m the most learned one in magic and I�m the one who knows more
about the wizarding world. They also respect my knowledge of the muggle world
since I used to go into muggle villages when I lived in the cottage during all
those years.�

�That�s fantastic, Remus! You did it!� exclaimed Orion proudly.

�Yes,� replied Remus but then he sighed, �But there�s so much to change,
cub. We live almost in poverty and they�re uneducated. I have to help them
more. I�m teaching them magic but I want to set up a classroom in our campsite,
for both the muggle and wizard werewolves. I will train a few for more months
until they�re ready to teach the others. And I want to give them better
facilities.�

Orion grinned at him and pulled out a small black velvet sack from his
robes and handed it to Remus, �I anticipated that you would need some funds.
This is linked to the Black vaults in Gringotts. It will refill whenever the
level is low. Take it and buy muggle and wizard textbooks. Set up your
classroom and improve the living conditions for your pack.�

Remus shook his head and made a move to return the sack, �I can�t accept
it, cub. You have already helped me too much ��

Orion pressed the sack into Remus� hands, �Don�t be a fool, Remus.
You�re family. This is nothing. I have too much money as it is, sitting in
Gringotts doing nothing. This is for a good cause.� Then he added with a grin,
�Besides, Sirius would kill me if he knew I wasn�t doing anything to help his
best friend. Please accept it for him as well.�

Remus sighed and replied, �I�ll return every sickle as soon as I can.�

�You don�t have to,� said Orion sternly, �I mean it, Remus, you are the
only one I have left. I want to help you as much as I can. Money means nothing
if it isn�t used for a good purpose. I infinitely prefer to know that you�re
using it than spend it in trivialities.� When he saw that Remus was about to
retort, he quickly changed subjects, �But you haven�t told me about Greyback.
Have you seen him?�

Remus shot him a look to make him understand that the matter wasn�t
forgotten but he replied, �Greyback leads another pack. I haven�t gone to them
yet. He isn�t well liked in my pack. Greyback tried to convince some to join
his pack but they refused because they heard that they transform in the middle
of muggle towns to purposely attack them and convert them. I have been visiting
the other two packs and I think it�s viable that they�ll want to join ours. We�re
still negotiating but the prospects are good.�

�That�s wonderful,� said Orion with a smile, �What are their views on
Voldemort and the incoming war?�

�My pack was led by an old wizard werewolf that was approached by
Voldemort during the first war,� replied Remus, �As you can imagine, he wasn�t
satisfied with the promises Voldemort gave him and the others don�t trust
Voldemort to keep his word. It doesn�t help that they know that Greyback is his
staunch supporter. They don�t want to be used as killing machines.�

Orion hummed, �Well, that needs to be changed. If the other two packs
join yours, how many would you be? And how many does Greyback have?�

�We would be around a hundred and Greyback currently has about thirty,�
replied Remus.

Orion raised his eyebrows in surprise, �That�s a lot. I never expected
that they were so many.� Then he smiled conspiratorially, �If you manage to
merge the three packs you�ll be able to defy Greyback and convince his pack to
join yours. I�m sure that once they see your improved campsite and how your
pack is being educated, they�ll want you as their alpha as well. You�re doing
great Remus! Once you have them you can begin negotiating with Voldemort.
You�ll be the leader of all the packs in England! You�ll have the power to make
Voldemort acquiesce to your demands!�

Remus gave him a small smile, �Yes, perhaps I will.�

�I�m sure you�ll manage it, Remus,� said Orion excitedly, �You�re
perfect for the task. And you�ll have me inside Voldemort�s ranks. I�ll be able
to pass you information. I�ll convince Voldemort to let me participate in the
negotiations.� Then he added thoughtfully, �In time you�ll need to contact the
foreign werewolf packs. I�m sure Dumbledore and Voldemort will send envoys to
gain their allegiance. You have to meet them first and present a common front
during the negotiations.�

Remus sighed, �Yes, in time I�ll do it. There�s so much to be done.�

�How long will it take you to convince the other packs in England to
join yours?� asked Orion.

�The other two won�t take too long, if all goes well,� replied Remus
pensively, �Greyback�s will be the hardest because I will have to fight him
before assuming the role of the alpha werewolf of his pack. Perhaps a year in
the best case scenario.�

Orion widened his eyes in concern, �You would need to kill Greyback?
That�s too dangerous, Remus, what if he hurts you?�

Remus smiled at him, �Don�t worry, cub. I only need to defeat him, not
kill him. It would be a fight in our werewolf forms and I�m much stronger now
that I�m living with my pack. I�ll be ready and fit when the time comes.�

�But it�s still dangerous. He�s vicious, Remus,� said Orion worriedly,
�He�s insane.� He paused to look at Remus and said quietly, �I could kill him
for you. I could probably do it without the Death Eaters finding out ��

Remus clutched his shoulders and said in apprehension, �You will kill no
one, Orion! You�re a boy! I won�t let you kill anyone! And even less if it�s
for me. I can manage him.�

�Remus,� said Orion wearily, �I will kill eventually during the war.
I�ve accepted it already. And I have no compunctions in killing someone like
Grey- �

Remus grasped him tighter and said in alarm, �You don�t have to kill
anyone, even if it�s during the war! This is exactly what your father and I
feared when you decided to support Voldemort. He�ll want to turn you into a
murderer but you can�t allow it! You�re Sirius and Lily�s son! They would never
want you to kill anyone! They would be appalled if they knew that the Dark side
was turning you into a killer!�

Orion let out a mirthless bark of laughter, �And what do you think the
Light side would want me to do if they ever discovered that I was Harry
Potter?� He pierced Remus with his green eyes and continued, �Dumbledore would
want me to kill Voldemort! The Light side is exactly like the Dark! They would
use me in the same way. At least with the Dark I would be killing to fulfill my
own goals, to help my kind. And besides, I won�t allow Voldemort to use me
either. If I kill it will be because I deem it necessary, not because Voldemort
commands me to.�

�But you�re just a boy-� started saying Remus frantically.

�I was never a boy,� interrupted Orion sharply, �Not just a boy.
I�m the Boy Who Lived, the one who inexplicably felled the Dark Lord during the
time his powers were in his height.�

�Lily�s sacrifice- � started saying Remus.

�Had nothing to do with it,� finished Orion sternly, �I have already
researched it to exhaustion. A love sacrifice can�t block the killing curse. I
think it only makes my scar prickle painfully when I�m around the person she
was trying to protect me from, when I�m around Voldemort, as a sort of alarm
system. It was me, my powers, that saved me. And I already have an idea how.�
Remus frowned at him confusedly and Orion added in a confidential quiet voice,
�Remus, I�m something else. Besides the parseltongue ability that Voldemort
involuntarily transferred to me that night, I have unique powers.�

Remus frowned and shook his head, �I don�t understand what you�re trying
to say.�

Orion grasped his hands and looked into Remus� amber eyes. He said
softly, �I thought that my dark magic � that what I could do with it wasn�t
uncommon. That perhaps others could wield it as I do. But I have looked into
every Dark Arts book that I could find and not a single word was said about my
powers. I�ve never shown you. I�ve never shown anyone for that matter.
Voldemort saw an uncontrolled display of my powers when I wasn�t even aware of
it. But I have started to control them now. I�m able to summon my dark magic at
will. I still have much to learn but in time I�ll master them. You see, I think
it was my dark magic that saved me that night. Even as a baby, I had it in my
magical core. And in times that I have needed it, it has risen inside of me. I
believe that I perceived a threat to my life that night and that my dark magic
protected me. Not even Voldemort�s killing curse could shatter the protection
my magic gave me.� He paused uncertainly and added in a whisper, �Voldemort�s
dark magic is similar to mine. I don�t know why but when I feel his magic I
somehow recognize it. It feels- it feels familiar. It feels enticing, as if our
magic was of the same kind, as if it was calling to each other. But on the
other hand, Voldemort isn�t capable of doing what I can. If he has my type of
dark magic in his magical core, he isn�t able to summon it and use it
wandlessly like I can. I�m sure he would display it if he was able to.�

Remus looked bewildered and horrified at the same time, �Orion,
Voldemort isn�t like you! He�s corrupting you. How can you possibly find his
dark magic enticing?�

Orion released Remus� hands and sighed, �Voldemort isn�t corrupting me.
I don�t even know if he feels the same when he senses my dark magic. I have
only used it once in his presence. He hasn�t had the chance of feeling
anything.� Then he added with a grimace, �And I�m not saying that he�s similar
to me. Merlin forbid! I don�t want to be like him. I�m just saying that out of
all the wizards I have met, his dark magic is the most similar to mine.�

�I�m not sure if it�s such a good idea for you to be on his side,
Orion,� said Remus in apprehension, �I should perhaps come back to Black Manor
and be here for you. I could hand the money to my pack and ��

Orion interrupted him angrily, �Remus, I didn�t tell you this so that
you became concerned for me! If I had known I wouldn�t have told you anything!
You have nothing to worry about. I�m perfectly able to manage Voldemort. He is
the most powerful wizard out there but I can wield magic that he can�t! If he ever
hurts me, I�ll hurt him back!� He looked at Remus and added sternly, �You have
your duties to your pack and I have mine to my kind. I won�t allow you to
abandon your pack and plans just because you�re worried about me. I have
friends and others that care for me. I�m not unprotected.�

�You only have the Malfoys who would turn you to Voldemort if he
commanded it!� retorted Remus with apprehension.

Orion sighed, �That might be true but I can hold my own against
Voldemort.� Remus looked at him disbelievingly and Orion added snappishly, �I
won�t discuss this further with you, Remus. I�m not leaving the Dark side and
you�re not leaving your pack. This war is greater than both of us and we have
to be prepared; we must go along our respective plans. I�ll contact you if I
ever need your help.�

Orion stood up, �I must leave now. The Malfoys are expecting my return
by now.�

Remus grabbed his arm and said gently, �I don�t want us to part in bad
terms, cub.�

Orion smiled at him and gave him a tight hug, �We will never be in bad
terms, Remus. I just ask you to have some faith in me. I�m not bragging about
my powers. What I told you is the absolute truth and I can take care of
myself.�

Remus sighed in resignation, �Promise me that you�ll contact me if
you�re in danger, if you need my help.�

Orion broke the hug and looked up at Remus, giving him a warm smile, �I
promise. Good luck with the packs. When you get the chance, write to me with
your news.�

Remus nodded and as Orion was about to throw the floo powder in the
study�s fireplace, he murmured, �Just as stubborn as your father.�

Orion peered around his shoulder to look at him and said with a happy
grin, �Indeed I am.�

As soon as he came out from the fireplace of Moscow�s Malfoy Manor,
Lucius, who was calmly reading the Daily Prophet at the tea table, said, �All
is well at Black Manor?�

Orion scourgified his robes and replied calmly, �Yes. I gave some more
orders to the house-elves but they�re already doing a good job.�

Lucius shot him a glance from behind the newspaper and said, �Very well.
Draco is waiting for you at the Library. The ball will be in two hours, I
expect you to be ready by then.�

Orion nodded curtly and left for the Library. Draco was seating in one
of the many plush and ornate armchairs, reading a thick document.

�Oh, you�re finally here,� drawled Draco lazily, �Here, we have to read
this before the ball.� He handed Orion a thick document, much like the one he
was reading.

Orion sat in front of him and asked with a raised eyebrow, �And this
is?�

Draco smirked at him, �A dossier on the wizards that will be at the
meeting.�

�We�ll be able to attend then?� asked Orion excitedly.

�Yes, but Father told me that we are to observe quietly without
speaking,� replied Draco and then he added with a huff, �And this is the only
meeting will be allowed in.�

�What?!� said Orion in disappointment, �There will be two other balls
this week!�

Draco sighed, �I know. We have to mingle and make contacts during those
balls while the meetings go on.�

Orion said in resignation, �Well, it was too good to be true. How many
balls will there be after we leave?�

�A couple more throughout the rest of the winter season,� replied Draco,
�My parents and the Lestranges will be staying here to participate in them.�
Then he stretched out his hand to give something to Orion, �Ah, and Father says
you have to wear this.�

Orion frowned and grasped it. His eyes narrowed angrily when he saw it
was his father�s ring. It had a rare and unique black sapphire with a small,
ornate, silver B incrusted in it. It was larger than his Black Heir ring but
elegant and masculine nonetheless.

�Lucius took this from my father?� asked Orion, voice shaking in anger.

Draco looked at him and said sternly, �Yes, he said you were refusing to
take it but you must wear it, Orion. At least for this type of social
engagements. It denotes that you�re the Head of the Black House.�

�I don�t care!� spat Orion, �He had no right!�

Draco scowled at him, �My father did it for your benefit! It�s
necessary. I�m wearing my Malfoy Heir ring!�

�I won�t,� said Orion angrily, �It�s my father�s. He�s not dead yet! I
won�t take his place!�

�You already have his place!� said Draco impatiently, �He�s not dead, at
least not physically, but he stopped being the Black House Head by law when he
was Kissed. If you don�t wear it I doubt that my father will allow you to
attend the meeting!�

Orion angrily clenched his fist around the ring and then pocketed it in
his robes.

Draco narrowed his eyes at him, �Will you wear it?�

�Yes,� snapped Orion moodily.

Draco seemed satisfied and continued reading his dossier. Orion angrily
started leafing through his and after a while he said, �There are many. I only
recognize a few family names. Three Americans and three French��

�I don�t know why they bother,� said Draco, �The American wizards have
always been isolationists and only enter wars when a bunch of them gets killed.
They couldn�t care less about what happened in Europe,� Then he added with a
scrunched nose, �And the French aren�t much better; bunch of conceited chauvinists
in my opinion.�

Orion chuckled, �The same could be said about us, the English,� Draco
shot him a glare and Orion smirked at him, �But it makes sense. The French
would soon get involved in the war and Dumbledore has a greater base there
because it�s filled with light wizards.�

�True,� replied Draco, �and at some point we�ll need the Americans as
well.�

�How so?� asked Orion with interest.

�Well, many of the dark pureblood families that were hunted down
centuries ago migrated to North America and established colonies there,�
explained Draco, �So there are some powerful families there. They changed their
family names to avoid persecution and start with a clean slate, so that�s why
you can�t recognize any of the names, but most of them come from branches of
our English dark families. This Comodus Conrad for example, I know that he�s
related to my family somehow. My father has had business deals with him in the
past. The American wizards are much more relaxed in their opinions about the
muggles and muggleborns but the dark families keep to themselves and are quite
wealthy.�

�You think they�ll help us?� asked Orion with a frown.

�If it�s in their interest, yes,� replied Draco, �They care more about
wealth than anything else but they�re greatly outnumbered by the light wizards
and that makes them uncomfortable; and it�s also bad for business, you see. I
think that if they saw that we are strong in Europe they�ll lend funds and
probably convince their Congress to side with us and send fighters.�

Orion frowned, �But how can they convince their government if they�re a
minority?�

Draco smirked at him, �They�re a minority but they�re the wealthiest and
own the most important businesses. They have great political clout due to that.
Politics there is much more to my liking. Who has the money gets obeyed, that
supersedes the Light�s prejudices against the Dark. Their whole economy would
crumble without the dark wizards and the light wizards are aware of this. So
they might kick and scream that they don�t want to support the Dark Lord, but
in the end the dark wizards will bribe them and threaten them into voting what
they want.�

Orion hummed. �And the French? Who�s this Sebastien Valois? He�s the
youngest in the dossier,� said Orion while he looked at the French magazine
clipping of the magical picture of an aristocratic and handsome
twenty-something year old wizard with dark wavy blonde hair and light hazel
eyes.

Draco huffed, �He�s a very conceited wizard, the Head of the Valois
pureblood family, ever since his parents died about five years ago. The Valois
had been royalty during the 1300s to the 1500s in French muggle history, though
the muggles didn�t know that they were dark wizards, of course.�

�They mixed with muggles?� asked Orion in surprise.

�Not in their bloodlines. They�re dark purebloods through and through,�
replied Draco, �They assumed the muggle throne merely to have more power and to
enrich themselves. When things turned bloodier between the muggles, they left
the throne and returned to the magical community. The Valois are the most
important dark family in France, they lead the others.� Then he added in
distaste, �If Sebastien Valois supports the Dark Lord then we would have all
the other French dark wizards on our side and even some of the light families
as well. He�s very well connected.�

�Have you met him?� asked Orion with curiosity, �By the way you speak
about him it seems that you have.�

�I met him during the last winter season. You didn�t come to the last
two, many new wizards attended them. Our families have always competed with one
another. The Valois is the most important family in France, just like the
Malfoys in England, so there�s always been a historic rivalry between us,�
replied Draco. Then he added nastily, �Sebastien Valois is conceited git, a
frivol playboy that believes he�s Merlin�s gift to wizards.�

Orion cocked an eyebrow and said with amusement, �What, asked him for a
dance and he refused?�

Two pink blushes appeared on Draco�s cheeks and he scoffed, �Nothing of
the sort. He danced and flirted with every good-looking wizard under the age of
thirty, that�s why I said he�s a playboy. Besides, his romantic escapades and
affairs are printed in every French wizarding magazine. Haven�t you ever read
about him?�

�I�m not interested in gossip magazines, Draco,� said Orion with a
chuckle, �I bet you read Weekly Witch as well.�

Draco glared at him and said with indignation, �Of course I don�t! But
unlike you I read foreign newspapers and magazines to keep up to date.�

Orion waved his hand dismissively, �Is he intelligent and powerful?�

Draco shot him a suspicious look, �He went to Beauxbatons and was a top
student. They say he�s well versed in the Dark Arts, probably learned with a
tutor since they don�t teach it in Beauxbatons, and that he�s a powerful dark
wizard. But he doesn�t seem the kind to be a good dueler; too lazy and vapid
for that. Probably just learned for appearance�s sake.� Then he narrowed his
eyes at Orion and said snappishly, �Don�t tell me you�re interested in him?�

Orion blinked, �Of course I am. He�s the one that determines if the
French will support us in the war. It�s advantageous to know about him as much
as possible.�

Draco groaned, �I meant if you�re attracted to him!�

Orion looked at him in disbelief, �From looking at a magazine clipping?�
He broke into laughter and then said, �By Merlin�s staff, Draco, I�m not
obsessed with wizards, you know? And I have my hands full with Lezander at
present. Besides, it�s Valois� opinion on the war that interests me, not his
good looks!�

�So you admit he�s good-looking,� said Draco with suspicion.

Orion cocked an eyebrow and smirked, �He is. I dare say most wizards and
witches would believe the same. What do you propose? To seduce him to our
side?�

Draco snorted, �Hardly. Too full of himself. Though I bet that the Dark
Lord will try.�

Orion�s eyes narrowed and he snapped, �What, does the Dark Lord take to
his bed all those he wants to convince?�

Draco arched an eyebrow and replied calmly, �I don�t think he would have
any qualms if it meant the support of the French. But I haven�t heard of the
Dark Lord having any lovers this time around.�

�And during his first rise?� asked Orion quietly with a frown.

Draco eyed him speculatively, �From what I�ve heard he had numerous
lovers before but never a steady one. I think my Aunt was the only one to keep
his bed warm for more than a few nights.�

Orion choked and gasped out, �Bellatrix?�

�Yes,� replied Draco nonchalantly, �She has always adored him and her
marriage with Uncle Rodolphus was an arranged one. They each kept their own
lovers. But the Dark Lord soon got tired of her as well, though that didn�t
diminish her affection for him.� Then he added with narrowed eyes, �Why are you
so interested in the Dark Lord�s lovers anyway?�

Orion pulled a blank expression on his face and said dismissively, �I�m
not. I was just curious.� He added changing subjects, �The rest of the wizards
in the dossier are from Central and Eastern Europe, I guess that�s because the
dark wizards are stronger there, right?�

�Yes,� said Draco with a nod, �The Russians and Germans would be our
best allies, as well as the dark wizards from the smaller countries surrounding
both countries. The dark wizards have more power in those countries than
anywhere else as their laws concerning the Dark Arts are more relaxed.�

�In Germany as well? After what happened with Grindelwald?� asked Orion,
�I thought that the German dark families left the country after his defeat and
that ruthless laws were established.�

�They fled to other countries at first, but slowly returned. Some of
them remained in Austria and Poland,� explained Draco, again in his element,
�And the laws were very harsh at the beginning but the dark wizards gained more
power with Russia�s support and now they�re more even in number with the light
wizards. As you know, Russia has the largest community of dark wizards and
they�re politically stronger than the light wizards, so they�re able to lend
support to other dark wizarding communities and it was in their interest to
help the Germans. As you saw in the dossier, there is one wizard each for
Ukraine, Romania, and Bulgaria; that�s because dark wizards are stronger there
thanks to Russia as well.�

Orion nodded. He had read much about modern wizarding history after all,
but Draco seemed to know quite a bit as well. Then he said thoughtfully, �The
world�s most ancient and powerful dark communities are in Egypt, China and
India. I guess that the Dark Lord first wants to conquer England and the rest
of Europe before turning to look at the rest of the world. And Europe can�t be
conquered without being certain that the Americans won�t support the Light
side.� Then he added in dismay, �It will take us decades at best!�

�It will, at least a decade, I believe,� replied Draco pensively, �But
if we have some of the dark creatures� support it might be faster. The
Dementors are already on our side, so that�s a benefit. And the giants
supported the Dark Lord on the last war, I�m sure he�ll manage to convince them
again. The werewolves� support would be great, since they�re almost in all
countries and are feared by all wizards.�

Orion said sternly, �Yes, but we would have to be fair to the
werewolves. If the Dark Lord doesn�t fulfill his promises I�m sure they would
retaliate.�

Draco smirked at him, �The Dark Lord has been able to get deals with
dark creatures before and then renege on his promises without action being
taken against him. I�m certain he�ll benefit from the werewolves� support this
time and then do whatever he likes once he�s in power.�

Orion didn�t reply. Not while I�m here, he thought darkly. If Voldemort
even attempts to cheat on the negotiations he�ll be sure to let Remus know. He
supported the Dark but that also included helping the dark creatures who had
been just as crushed by the light wizards as the dark wizards have been.

Draco interrupted his angry musings, �We have to get ready, Orion. The
ball will begin in thirty minutes. My mother left your dress robes in your
room.�

Orion nodded and took the dossier with him. He would use some time to
memorize the pictures and information on the wizards, it would be extremely
useful for the meeting.

Draco and Orion were standing with Kara, Evander, Calypso and Viktor, at
one side of the beautiful and enormous ballroom of Fornax Manor. Their parents
were also attending the meeting, and Evander, after greeting the guests with
his parents had slipped away to join them. After talking about the First Task
of the Triwizard Tournament and all the going-ons in Durmstrang, they spend the
time commenting on the guests.

Orion whispered impatiently to Draco, �When will the meeting start?�

�Father will get us before it begins. A bunch of wizards can hardly
disappear as soon as the ball starts. Don�t worry and stop fidgeting!� replied
Draco in a murmur.

Orion sighed and straightened his dress robes for the umpteenth time.
The robes were really beautifully. Narcissa as always had exquisite taste and
she had somehow managed to get a dress robe of the same color of his eyes,
though still elegant and masculine. And he was wearing his father�s ring, much
against his will. But he couldn�t avoid fidgeting while impatiently waiting for
the meeting to begin. He had refused anyone who had asked him for a dance; the
ball held no interest for him, it was the meeting that he was longing to start.

Calypso nudged his ribs and said with envy, �You�re so lucky that Mr.
Malfoy is taking you to the meeting. I pleaded with Father but he refused, he
said that the Dark Lord had only allowed you and Draco after Mr. Malfoy�s
request. You must tell me everything afterwards!�

Orion smirked at her, �And what do I get in exchange?�

�You�ll deny your best friend the information? After everything she�s
done for you?� said Calypso in a sweet voice, �After all the warm and sisterly
feelings she has for you?�

Orion grinned at her, �Tsk tsk. I�m not susceptible to emotional
blackmail, little Calypso. I�ll tell you if you deal with the blasted egg. It�s
driving me crazy, no matter what I do it keeps shrieking.�

Calypso huffed and rolled her eyes, �Agreed, but I was going to help you
with it anyways.�

�I just wanted to hear you ask nicely,� said Orion with a grin, �I know
you would have pestered me to death until you extracted the information about
the meeting. Now, I just got rid of the annoying egg without giving you
anything in exchange which I wasn�t already planning to.�

�Like a true Slytherin,� said Draco proudly. Then his eyes shot forwards
and he groaned, �Merlin, not him!�

Orion turned to look at Draco�s cause for annoyance and saw a tall and
well-built young wizard in pale blue silk dress robes approaching them. He
smirked with amusement at Draco when he recognized that it was Sebastien
Valois.

Orion leaned towards Draco and said in a taunting whisper, �Don�t worry,
Drakey, I�m sure that if you ask nicely he�ll agree to dance with you this
time. How could he refuse a Malfoy twice?�

Draco shot him a dark glare before assuming a stoic mask.

�We meet again, Malfoy,� said Valois with a seductive smirk as he looked
at the others, �And who are your enchant�ng companions?�

Draco curtly made the introductions and while Kara gazed fascinated at
Valois while being scowled at by Evander. Valois� eyes returned to Orion and he
said silkily with a very mild accent, �Orion Black? Ze Head of ze Most Noble
and Ancient House of Black, I assume?�

Orion�s lips quirked with amusement at Draco�s fastidious expression and
he replied, �The one and only.�

Valois smiled at him and said while offering his arm, �May I have zis
dance, zen?�

Orion widened his eyes in surprise and gave him a tentative small smile,
�Of course.�

As Valois led him to the middle of the ballroom where the rest of the
couples were dancing slowly, Orion could almost feel Draco�s furious eyes
piercing the back of his head.

Valois gently took his hand and circled an arm around his waist as they
started dancing.

Orion looked up at him and said with amusement, �You were trying to
annoy Draco, confess.�

�Whazever do you mean?� asked Valois with a wicked smile, �Why would
dancing with you annoy Malfoy?�

Orion smirked at him, �Because we were talking together and I bet you
love to get a rise out of him.�

�I care little about Malfoy,� said Valois earnestly, �I just wanted to
get to know you.� He smiled at him and added, �I�ve read about ze Triwizard
Tournament and you. Is it true zat you�re heart is breaking for boz Malfoy and
Krum?�

Orion laughed and shook his head, �No, what a predicament that would be.
I think that I couldn�t cope with just one of them, let alone the two.� He
looked at Valois thoughtfully and asked, �Do you know Fleur Delacour?�

�I know her family,� replied Valois, �but not her personally. I�ve heard
zat she�s a good student at Beauxbatons. How is she doing at ze Tournament?�

�She�s on third place after the First Task,� said Orion, �She seems
able, I like her.�

Valois arched an eyebrow, �One more zat has fallen in her zrall?�

Orion chuckled, �Hardly, she�s not my type. I prefer wizards.�

Valois� hazel eyes glinted with interest and he asked silkily, �And what
type of wizard would zat be?�

Orion looked up at him, slightly confused with the change of Valois�
tone of voice, and replied uncertainly, �Er- well, I don�t think I have a type.
A dark wizard preferably, I think. But I�ve never been with a dark wizard
before so it�s all a guess.�

�You�ve never had a boyfriend?� asked Valois with a pleased smile.

�I currently have a boyfriend, my first one really. But � er � he�s not
a dark wizard,� replied Orion.

Valois leaned his head forwards and said in a low whisper, �You�ll find
zat dark wizards are ze most interesting ones.� He looked into Orion�s eyes and
said softly, �You really are a beautiful boy. Though ze pictures don�t do
justice to your amazing eyes.�

Orion briefly tensed in Valois� arms and couldn�t prevent the light
flush creeping on his cheeks.

Valois looked at him with amusement and asked, �Does my forwardness make
you uncomfortable?�

�Maybe a bit,� replied Orion truthfully, �Only my boyfriend has ever
told me that he considers me beautiful, Valois. It�s strange hearing it from a
stranger.�

�Ah, but we�re not strang�rs anymore, Orion,� said Valois with a warm
smile, �And please call me Sebastien.� Then he added silkily, �And you should
be told more often, until you believ�d it, at least.�

Orion shrugged his shoulders, �I don�t care much for that sort of thing.
If my boyfriend believes it, it�s enough for me.�

�How very refresh�ng you are after all ze tedious wizards zat I normally
meet at zis type of gather�ngs,� replied Sebastien with a sly smirk, �I think
you�ve become my favor�te dancing partner. You�re going to be engaged with me
for all your future dances.�

Orion, having gained more confidence in Sebastien�s banter, replied with
a taunting smirk, �Quite sure of yourself, are you? Perhaps I find you just
like all the others and prefer to dance with my good friend Draco.�

Sebastien arched an eyebrow and said with a small self-assured smile, �A
Malfoy preferr�d over a Valois? I�ll never see ze day.� He added seductively,
�And let me assure you zat I�m very differ�nt from anyone else you have ever
met.� He lowered his voice to a whisper and said, �If you ever allow�d me ze
chance to show you just how much-�

A discreet cough interrupted him and Orion was startled to see Lucius
before them.

Lucius looked at them impassively and said in a low murmur, �The meeting
is starting. If you�ll accompany me, I�ll lead you to it.�

Sebastien nodded while he withdrew his arm from Orion�s waist. As they
followed Lucius, Sebastien arched an inquiring eyebrow at Orion�s presence
while Orion simply smirked at him.

As soon as he entered the room, Orion spotted Draco seating far away
from the head of the table. He quietly sat besides him and immediately felt
Voldemort�s familiar aura as the wizard entered the room seconds after them.
Sebastien winked at Orion as he sat near Voldemort and Orion saw that the group
seemed to be complete. The Lestranges and the Inner Circle Death Eaters that
had been rescued from Azkaban were seated amongst the new wizards and he
spotted his friends� fathers as well. He glanced at Voldemort and had to admit
that the wizard looked very intimidating and held a commanding presence.
Voldemort�s magic felt stronger than usual. Orion suspected that he was letting
it out a bit so that the rest could feel it.

As the
group fell silent, Voldemort rose from his high chair at the head of the table
and said quietly, �Welcome, my friends, to our first meeting to address issues
that concern our dark magical communities.� He looked at the faces of the
wizards and his voice got stronger as he continued, �We are gathered to reach
an agreement between the most powerful dark communities and present a united
front against the wizards that have been suppressing our beliefs and magic for
centuries. The time has arrived to stand up for our rights before our bloodlines
weaken further and we lose more political ground to the light wizards. They
would gladly see our bloodlines and dark magic extinguished and for too long we
have allowed them to ban our practices and condemn the use of our magic. If we
come together we�ll be able to defeat them in the imminent war and then shape
the wizarding world to our liking. Our kind would dominate the others, the
muggles and muggleborns would be subjugated to our will, and our word would be
law. We would practice our dark magic freely without facing prejudices; we
would reestablish our families into the position of power and respect that they
deserve; and our children will be magical stronger with each passing generation
until our bloodlines carry the power and purity they once held. This is the
magical world I envision for us if we succeed in these negotiations.�

Many
nodded in agreement while others refrained from commenting. The silence that
had ensued was broken by the first courageous one, a forty year old attractive
French witch, which was Sebastien Valois� aunt according to the dossier.

Sophie
Ambroise said in a melodic clear voice, �Zat sounds wonderful, Your Lordship.
But ze question is how will ze British manage to overpower Dumbl�door. Removing
him is ze first step for ze war, since none of us has a light wizard as
powerful as Dumbl�door in our countries. Ze dark wizards in England have to
prove zat zey�re able to defeat him, preferably kill him, before the French, at
least, get involved in ze war.�

�Dumbledore
is nothing,� replied Voldemort calmly, �I will easily dispose of him when my
plans come to fruition, but our alliance needs to be established before that.
We have little time and much to plan for, to delay everything just because
Dumbledore still lives.�

�Dumbl�dore
deveated Grindelvald,� interjected Dietrich Emmerich, a sixty year old imposing
German wizard, �And Gillert was supposed to be invincible. I vas there during
their duel, Dumbl�dore vill not be easy to deveat.�

Lucius
answered with a small sneer, �Dumbledore doesn�t have the same powers he had
decades ago, Dietrich. He�s an old man and he�s no match for My Lord.�

�Ah, but
what of 'Arry Potter?� retorted Sebastien Valois, casting a sly smirk towards
Lucius, �Dumbl�door wasn�t able to beat Your Lord during ze first war but-
excuse me Your Lordship,� he said with a curt bow to Voldemort, �but 'Arry
Potter managed to kill you, though thankfully not perman�ntly.�

�The
filthy half-blood is dead,� interjected Bellatrix in a high pitch, �And it was
his mudblood whore of a mother that saved the whelp -�

Orion
clenched his fists in fury but Voldemort silenced her with a warning glance and
said quietly, �Harry Potter survived because his mother died to protect him. He
had no extraordinary powers and he is dead now.� Voldemort�s calm tone belied
the anger Orion knew he was feeling, since his invisible scar had started
twitching painfully.

�But hoff
do ve knov that the boy is really dead?� asked Gunnar Ingeg�rd, the Swedish
wizard, �Accorgding to the papers he simply diffappeared, they nevergh found a
vody.�

Romulus
Rosier replied calmly, �If the boy was still alive, Dumbledore would have found
him and the spies we sent into muggle London would have found at least one
clue. Dumbledore has already given up the search, so it�s quite safe to believe
that the boy is dead, and if he�s not, then he has never been magically
educated and therefore doesn�t represent a threat to our plans.�

�In ze
event zat 'Arry Potter was still alive, zen we would need to persuade him to
our side,� said Sebastien Valois with conviction, �It doesn�t matter zat he�s
untrained, he�s still an icon for ze Light and as such he gives zem hope. Zey
would rally to him and expect him to lead ze war with Dumbl�door. Zat can�t be
allowed.�

�The
half-blood is dead!� interjected Bellatrix impatiently, �And if he�s not he�s
merely a powerless snotty little street urchin. It was the mudblood�s sacrifice
that saved him. Let the Light keep him if they find him, he�s useless anyway.�

Sebastien
sneered at her, �Even if he�s powerless he has political value. We can�t allow
ze Light to have him. Besides, a kill�ng curse can�t be stopped by a mother�s
sacrifice. I would have expect�d that someone rumored to know so much about the
Dark Arts would have realiz�d zis already. He stopped ze kill�ng curse
himself!�

A tense
silence overtook the room and Orion�s scar was prickling more painfully than
ever. Voldemort seemed to hate where the conversation was going but he had a
perfect mask of tranquility on his face.

�It�s
useless to speculate about Harry Potter,� said Konstantin Kavsir calmly, �If he
ever shows up then we�ll plan what to do with him. Until then, we should
discuss more pressing issues.�

�Ja, I
agree vith Konstantin,� retorted Ludolf Veitner, the Austrian wizard, �Potter is
the English�s problem. As for Dumbledorgh, no one�s a match vor him except Your
Lordship, so ve vill leave him to you as vell. The rest of us can vorry about
sending you fighterghs for the English var before it erupts in Europe.�

Anatoly
Kusakov, a Russian wizard that reminded Orion of Karkaroff, said gruffly, �I
vould like to knov vhich countries vould be the first to revolt after you�ve
taken England.�

�I think
it�s more import�nt to know about ze kind of governm�nts zat are going to be
establish�d after ze war,� interjected Didier Benoit, an old and sophisticated
French wizard, �Ze French will not allow to be ruled by any supranational form
of governm�nt. We value our independ�nce above anything else.�

�What
about the war retribution payments?� added Comodus Conrad, one of the
Americans, �The Light wizards should be asked to cover all the material damages
done to buildings and businesses during the war; it�s the lot of the defeated.
And we want our banks to have the exclusive rights of lending money for the
rebuilding of Europe once the war is over.�

Alistair
Armitage, the only Brisith wizard apart from the Death Eaters, rounded on
Conrad, �Over my dead body! European banks will lend the galleons to restore
Europe. I won�t see Europe sucked dry of her blood life by the greed of
American banks.�

After
that, several groups of wizards exploded into arguments. Cassius Sormen and
Reginald Rook, the two other American wizards, backed up Comodus Conrad, while
Armitage was supported by Alessandro Bernasconi, Bruno Constanzo, and Luis
Castillo-Torreblanca, two Italians and a Spaniard, respectively. While that
group discussed about banking rights and who was going to suck dry the light
wizards of their galleons, the French were arguing with Lucius, Rodulphus and Romulus
about the independence of their government. On the other side of the table, the
Russians and Germans discussed which countries had to revolt first, while the
wizards from Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria, Austria and Poland, argued about
national rights over magical territories long disputed between them, Russia and
Germany.

Orion
shot Draco a bewildered look and was answered by an amused smirk. The arguments
only lasted for a few minutes since Voldemort soon got angry and wandlessly
shot out a spell that forced everyone back to their seats, which quickly
silenced them.

Voldemort
pierced each and every one of them with his furious crimson gaze and said in a
deathly quiet voice, �All your arguments are petty concerns until we have won
the war in England. We should be concentrating on that instead of wasting any
more time. But let me make one thing clear; each country will maintain it�s
Ministry of Magic, ran by dark wizards loyal to us, but there WILL be a
supranational government that will guide the Ministries and enact laws to be
established equally in each country.�

�I
suppose that this supranational government vould be headed vy you and composed
vy some of your Inner Circle?� asked nonchalantly Cyryl Czesceslaus, the
Ukranian wizard.

�Exactly,�
replied Voldemort with a cold smirk.

�C�est ne
pas possible!� interjected Didier Benoit, �Ze French have never been subject�d
to fore�gn rule. We can�t abide to lose our pol�tical and legislative
autonomy!�

Voldemort
pinned him with an icy glare and said quietly, �The countries would not be
losing political or legislative autonomy, they would be ran as before, just
having dark wizards in charge instead of light ones. You�ll still get to elect
your own representatives and enact your own laws. I merely wish to establish an
international form of government to ensure harmony between all our countries
and make sure that the right laws are being implemented. Without me, the war
couldn�t be won, so I think I�m not taking too much when I plan to leave your
countries alone and only take a supervisory post.�

The
French still looked mutinous; the Russian and Germans looked at Voldemort with
trepidation; and the Americans with slight apprehension, not truly believing
that Voldemort�s supranational government could force them into anything. All
the while Orion had apocalyptic scenarios flashing in his mind, with Voldemort
taking hold of the wizarding world after killing the head of the governments of
each country, while muggleborns were stripped from their rights and without
anywhere to turn to due to Voldemort�s supranational laws imparted in all
countries.

Voldemort�s
idea of a supervisory supranational government wasn�t bad at all; it was just
Voldemort leading it that made Orion cringe. He had no doubt that Voldemort
would tell them whatever they wanted to hear to assuage their fears and then,
with the war won, he would do whatever he pleased. And he could already see
that some underestimated Voldemort�s ambitions and powers. The Americans were
too sure of themselves, for example.

The
meeting carried on for what seemed like hours for Orion. Finally some tentative
agreements had been reached. The Russian and the Germans were the ones that had
shown more support for Voldemort's plans. It had been agreed that once the war
erupted in England, the Russians and Germans would move against France which
had the largest community of light wizards in continental Europe, with Valois
and the rest of the French dark families working from the inside. That way the
English light wizards wouldn�t get French support. Once France and England were
conquered, the Russians and Germans would move to conquer Poland, Austria,
Ukraine, Romania and Bulgaria -which also had allies in their midst -, while
the French and British moved to capture Spain and Italy. After that, they would
move together to conquer Sweden, Finland and Norway, and the rest of the
smaller remaining countries.

Voldemort
explained that the war in England wouldn�t begin in about two more years, so
that they could go back to their countries and start convincing the other
families and gathering resources. The Russians would subtlety help the Germans
to politically overrule the light wizards in their country, so that by the time
the war started, Germany was in the dark wizards� clutches. France represented
the most delicate situation. Sebastien Valois would have to begin gaining
allies in the light families, besides grouping all the dark families under his
leadership. And the Americans were expected to lend funds and fighters for the
war in England and had these two years to outmaneuver their Congress to
accomplish it.

That was
the general outline of Voldemort's plan but details were not discussed yet.
Those were left for subsequent meetings, as well as the rewards that each of
the attendants expected for their support and their demands for their
countries. At the end of the round of the negotiations, that could take about a
year by the look of things, each one of them had to sign a magical binding
contract so that they fulfilled the agreement reached.

When the
meeting was adjourned, Orion tiredly trailed after the parting wizards. As soon
as he crossed the door, Sebastien pulled him to a side.

�Your
innocence is so deceiving, Orion,� said Sebastien in a whisper, �I didn�t know
zat you were a Death Eater.�

Orion
looked up into Sebastien�s light hazel eyes and said quietly, �I�m not a Death
Eater, just a supporter.�

Sebastien
looked at him quizzically and said silkily, �Better and better. I hope zat I
have ze pleasure of seeing you in ze next ball?�

�For the
ones planned this week, yes,� replied Orion with a small smile, �I�m going back
to Hogwarts on Sunday.� Then his smile fell and he said with resignation, �But
I won�t be attending the meetings. This was my first and only one.�

Sebastien
gently lifted his chin and said in a low seductive purr, �Don�t despair, mon
petit. You�ll be able to dance with me. I�ll look for you after ze meetings.�

Orion
cocked an eyebrow and gave him an amused smirk, �I see now what they meant when
they told me that you were the narcissistic type. I suppose that I have no
choice but to put up with you for a few dances.�

Sebastien�s
lips quirked in amusement and he said mockingly, �Ow, a stab to mon coeur.�
Then he added silkily, �I�ll have to work hard zen, to get rid of ze misconceptions
you have about me. I�m sure I�ll enjoy showing you ze real me.�

Orion�s
retort was interrupted by Draco�s hand on his shoulder.

Draco
shot Sebastien a contemptuous look and said to Orion, �We are wanted back
inside.�

When they
reentered the room, all the Death Eaters were seated besides Voldemort and they
were discussing the meetings� events. Orion sat down quietly with Draco.

��The
French and the Americans are the ones that showed more reticence, My Lord,�
said Lucius, �They�ll demand a great price for their support.�

�The
Americans are greedy bastards,� interjected Yaxley snidely, �If we give them
the banking rights for the reconstruction they�ll easily agree to support us.�

�But many
English dark wizarding families won�t like that at all,� retorted Dolohov, �You
saw how badly Armitage took it. His family has deals with Gringotts and own
shares of some of the most important wizarding banks in continental Europe. And
he has a lot of sway with other dark families.�

Voldemort
replied indifferently, �The Americans will be dealt with after we win the war
in England. We will give them what they want for now.�

�My
Lord,� said Rookwood deferentially, �Besides funds and fighters, we should ask
them for the magical objects that are being kept and studied in the underground
chambers of their government building.�

Voldemort
quirked an eyebrow in interest and said coldly, �Explain.�

�During
my time as an Unspeakable at the Department of Mysteries, there were rumors
amongst us about what the Americans had,� retorted Rookwood, �It was said that
throughout the centuries they have been stealing powerful magical artifacts
from Latin American countries, probably of Mayan, Inca and Aztec cultures.
Magical knowledge long lost that they are attempting to unravel.�

Voldemort
turned thoughtful and after a while said, �It would be very convenient if we
could get hold of that knowledge and the artifacts. You�re right, Augustus, we
should subtlety bring it up during the next meeting.�

�That
still leaves the French, My Lord,� said Rosier, �They�re completely opposed
against the establishment of the Dark Council after the war. They refused to be
subjected to the supranational powers that the Council would have over their
Ministry. And if they knew that you are going to adopt the title of Dark
Imperator over the wizarding world they would fight it with everything they
have. �

Orion's
eyes widened. Merlin's beard, Voldemort's ambitions knew no boundaries! Emperor
of the wizarding world? And probably of the muggle world as well after they had
been properly crushed by Voldemort and his army. His worried thoughts were
interrupted as the conservation continued.

Amycus
Carrow interjected nastily, �That�s the work of that doddering old fool,
Benoit, and the conceited upstart, Valois ��

�We
should simply kill them both after the war, Master,� interrupted Bellatrix with
a high-pitched cackle, �I would immensely enjoy disfiguring the handsome face
of Valois while he pleads for my mercy.�

Voldemort
gave her a cold smile and said indulgently, �Perhaps I�ll grant you your wish,
Bella.�

Orion
froze in his seat. He didn�t know how he felt about Sebastien, he was a
consummated flirt, but he had seemed like a good person and was interesting
nonetheless. And just imagining Bellatrix torturing Sebastien made his blood
turn cold.

�Perhaps
there are other ways of convincing the French, My Lord,� interjected Lucius
carefully, �If we killed Valois, the rest of the French dark families would
turn against us. It wouldn�t be a wise move.�

Voldemort
turned to look at Lucius, �And what do you propose, my cunning friend?�

Lucius
shot Orion a glance and replied, �Valois seems susceptible to the charms of
young wizards, My Lord. He could be persuaded to support us if we dangled in
front of his face something he desired.�

Voldemort
narrowed his eyes and said quietly, �Like whom?�

�Valois
seemed interested in Orion, My Lord,� replied Lucius impassively.

Orion
gasped as the eyes of the Death Eaters zeroed in on him. He felt his invisible
scar burst in pain as Voldemort narrowed his eyes at him and said silkily, �Is
that so, Orion?�

Orion
shook his head and said faltering, �Er- no. I have just met him today. He
didn�t express any interest in me- �

�When I
interrupted your dance with him, he was whispering to you,� interjected Lucius
nonchalantly, �He seemed completely infatuated with you.�

Voldemort�s
eyes turned into slits as Orion�s pain increased, and he said to Lucius without
turning his crimson gaze away from Orion, �Are you suggesting that we use Orion
to seduce Valois, Lucius?�

Before
Lucius had a chance to reply, Orion jumped from his seat and said seething, �I
won�t be used in that way! I won�t be whored so that you get your ally!�

Complete
silence fell on the Death Eaters as some of them waited in anticipation for Orion�s
punishment due to his disrespectful way of addressing the Dark Lord. They
weren�t disappointed for long, since Voldemort whipped out his wand and said
quietly, �Crucio�

Orion
fell to the floor with a shriek. As his body convulsed and he swallowed his
pain-filled screams, he heard Voldemort dismissing the rest of the Death
Eaters. Through his tears he saw Voldemort�s robes in front of him.

He was
roughly pulled up by his collar as the curse was cancelled and he was
confronted with Voldemort�s furious face.

�How many
times will I have to punish you before you learn to address me politely?� said
Voldemort in a deathly quiet voice.

Orion
fought against the pain in his scar and the lingering pain in his body, as he
replied hoarsely, �I didn�t � I didn�t mean to be disrespectful. I was
surprised by your wish to hand me over to Valois-�

Voldemort
lifted his chin forcefully and hissed angrily, �You foolish boy, I have no
intention of letting him or anyone else touch you.� Voldemort pierced him with
his scarlet eyes and said silkily, �I won�t whore you, as you so aptly named
it, at least not to others.� He smirked when he saw Orion�s eyes widen and he
started to trail his fingers on Orion�s tear-stained cheeks. He continued
silkily, �Perhaps you were afraid that I would let someone else use you for
their pleasure? That I would relinquish my hold on you? Is that it, Orion? Are
you concerned that I rather let others have you instead of taking you myself?�

�What?!
No �� gasped Orion.

�Hush,
Orion,� said Voldemort pressing him against his body. His fingers trailed
smoothly over Orion�s lips while Orion looked at him in increasing alarm.
Voldemort smirked at him and hissed huskily, �Isss thissss what you want? Do
you want me to claim you? To sssshow you and othersss that you belong to me?�

Orion
opened his mouth to retort angrily but his words were muffled when Voldemort
aggressively kissed him. He felt Voldemort�s warm tongue exploring the depths
of his mouth and his arms crushing him against his body. In his shock and
confusion he didn�t react and he allowed Voldemort to plunder him. All through
the dazed pleasure he was feeling, mellowing the sharp pain from his scar, he
felt something within him stirring, trying to rise, as if it were trying to
make a connection. He inadvertently moaned against Voldemort�s insatiable mouth
as he was pressed closer to his body; his mind torn between pleasure,
disbelief, and reproach for allowing this. He regained his senses immediately
when he felt Voldemort�s hard erection pressing against his stomach, which made
him frantic to stop whatever was happening.

He
brusquely pushed Voldemort away from him and said furiously in between deep
pants, �What- what do you think you�re doing?! What vicious game are you
playing with me now?! Just leave me the hell alone!�

Voldemort
had a puzzled frown on his face, which disappeared instantly at his words. He
forcefully grabbed Orion�s face and said in cold anger, �Leave you alone? I
won�t ever leave you alone! You�re my follower! You�ll do what I want! And
never let me find out that you�ve been cavorting with Valois again! �

�ARE YOU
INSANE?!� yelled Orion swatting Voldemort�s hands from his face, �YOU DON�T
TELL ME WHAT TO DO! I DON�T HAVE TO OBEY YOU! If I want to be friends with
Sebastien, then I will-�

Abruptly,
Voldemort backhanded him and he was knocked against the wall. He let a whimper
of pain and dazedly saw Voldemort advancing towards him with a seething
expression on his face. Orion reacted instinctively; he pushed both of his
hands forwards as his furious dark magic flew from his palms, erecting a wall
of black consuming flames between him and Voldemort. Orion shakily straightened
and looked in awe at what his magic had produced. He could discern Voldemort
behind it and saw him stretch out a hand to touch it and quickly withdrawing
when he was scorched by the flames.

With a
burning cheek and a fiercely painful scar, Orion pierced his viridian eyes to
Voldemort�s through the black flames. He wiped the drop of blood from the edge
of his mouth and said in cold seething anger, �You�ve gone too far. You will
treat me as an equal in the future or next time I WILL retaliate!� He saw
Voldemort narrowing his eyes at him and he spat, �I won�t change sides but I
will defend myself from you if you insist in harming me!�

He spun
around and left the room. Moments after, the wall disappeared in great puffs of
black smoke and Voldemort looked with amazement at his charred fingertips. The
boy was able to control the dark magic he had seen in Azkaban, to give it the
form of flames. Incredible. He could still feel the pleasant tingling of the
boy�s enticing powers. What kind of unique dark magic does the boy have? So
spontaneous and raw, so purely dark. And the kiss, it had been unexpectedly
exquisite, but there had been something else there. It had been too brief but
he had felt� something� something familiar that had puzzled him extremely.
Could it be the boy�s magic? Or something else?

Voldemort
frowned. Orion was full of mysteries. He needed to find out what all this
meant. And worse, Orion still didn�t know his place. His face darkened as he
thought about Valois. Another problem. The boy seemed to attract too much
attention. Orion needed to be restrained, needed to learn obedience, and above
all, Orion needed to acknowledge that he belonged to him. All that nonsense
about being his equal was ridiculous but he grudgingly respected the boy for
making a stand. He would need to be more careful with him given his powers. And
he was losing control; he shouldn�t have kissed the boy, and he shouldn�t have
taken pleasure in it. But the boy�s lithe body against his, his exquisite warm
mouth surrendering to his� No! He wouldn�t fall into temptation, into weakness.
If he wanted to use the boy however he saw fit, then he would, but he would be
in control. He would do it to manipulate, not to get lost in mindless lust.

As Orion
left the room, he saw that the ball was still in full swing. Orion went into
one of the deserted rooms and quickly threw the floo powder at the fireplace
and flooed to Malfoy Manor. When he reached his bedroom he tiredly dropped on
his bed. He tentatively touched his bruised lips and then scowled at himself.
He had liked it. Morgana strike him down! He had liked Voldemort�s kiss! He
hadn�t even been too aware of that while it happened but now he knew. So
different from any other kiss that Lezander had given him, so much more intense
and consuming. Orion angrily punched his pillow. Damn it! He shouldn�t have
liked it! Not while Voldemort had crucioed him and then backhanded him, not
while Voldemort had been spouting again his ridiculous ideas. This was getting
out of hand. He had to put an end to it. He shouldn�t give Voldemort a reason
to start that kind of games with him. He had to act cool and indifferent around
him. That�s it! Just be unnoticeable. Voldemort had a lot on his hands, if
Orion kept a low profile then Voldemort wouldn�t pay attention to him. But by
Morgana that next time Voldemort harmed him he would harm him back! Orion
sighed. At least he won�t be seeing him at the meetings again. He wouldn�t go
to the next two balls either. He frowned. Voldemort had seen the control he had
on his dark magic. Damn it! It was too soon. He would need to train harder to
control it better. But besides that, there was still something strange. The
kiss, what he had felt, had it only been pleasure? No, he had felt something
else pulling from within. His magic? Maybe�What was the meaning of it? Orion
tiredly rubbed his eyes. It was all so very confusing. He needed to rest.

Orion
faked illness for the next two balls and he wrote to Sebastien to excuse his
absence. After confronting Lucius for telling Voldemort about Valois and him,
he was at least more pacified when the older wizard explained that he hadn�t
thought that Voldemort would get angry or that Orion would react so stupidly.
Lucius said that he wasn�t proposing that Orion, in particular, should seduce
Valois, he just thought that Valois� weakness was something useful that
Voldemort needed to know. Lucius and Draco had separately interrogated him
about what happened between Voldemort and him once they left the room but Orion
had refused to say anything. He only told them that they had a brief argument
and had left it at that. Lucius had seemed perturbed and Orion thought that he
might have told something to Narcissa, since in the following days she had been
casting concerned glances at him. But none of them spoke about it again.

On
Sunday, he went back to Hogwarts with Draco, thankful that Voldemort was too
busy with the meetings to have time to summon him and confront him. Though at
some point Voldemort would call for him, of that, he was certain.

As Orion
reached the entrance of Durmstrang�s dorm, he remembered something that had
been on his mind since the meeting. He stopped Draco from advancing towards
Slytherin�s dorms and asked, �Draco, what�s the Department of Mysteries?
Rookwood mentioned it during the meeting.�

Draco looked around to make certain they were alone and then cast
silencing spells around them. He looked at Orion and said quietly, �The
Department of Mysteries lies in the lowest level of the English Ministry of
Magic, on the ninth level. There, wizards who are called Unspeakables, go about
researching some of the deepest mysteries of magic. They explore and experiment
with these mysterious forces in various chambers. No one really knows what is
down there since the Unspeakables take an oath to keep their secrets. Rookwood
somehow managed to circumvent his oath and he passed information to the Dark
Lord during the first war. From what he said it seems that the Americans have a
similar department; I guess all countries do.�

Orion nodded and went to his dorm. He wondered what kind of things were
studied there, it sounded very interesting. And what could the Americans
possibly have?

That night, as he lay besides a sleeping Lezander, his guilt consumed
him. He had allowed Voldemort to kiss him and worse, he had enjoyed it. But it
wasn�t right. He looked at Lezander�s peaceful face and tenderly caressed his
pale cheek. Lezander was so gentle and good to him. This is what he needed;
Lezander�s love not Voldemort�s aggressive and manipulative possessiveness.
Orion softly kissed Lezander�s lips and burrowed against him. He vouched that
his relationship with Voldemort would be strictly professional from now on. Lezander was everything he
needed.
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The Black Heir