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Not As It Seems	By : SailorSol Category: Harry Potter > General > General Views: 4953 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
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.

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Not As It Seems

Chapter 5

Harry had jumped to his feet when the crystal shattered. He heard Snape curse, and he saw blood all over his professor�s hands. He grabbed a towel, folded it, and held it underneath Snape�s hands while Lucius carefully extracted the larger shards with his hands, and then used his wand to remove the small pieces.

Draco had disappeared, and he seemed to reappear at Snape�s side with a phial in his hand. Snape scrutinized it, sniffed at the contents, and then allowed Draco to pour the contents into his mouth.

Before Harry�s eyes, the cuts in Snape�s hands stopped bleeding, and then closed up, healing at an astonishing rate that left no scars.

None of them noticed that Voldemort was no longer with them until he walked back into the room. He was wiping blood off of his hands.

�Severus,� he said. �Aquila requires your help, and a Dreamless Sleep potion for Miss Weasley. After you are done, you should return here so that we can continue our discussion.�

�Of course, my Lord,� Snape said. He rose to his feet and swept out of the room.

�What happened?� Harry asked.

Voldemort gazed at him, and then answered his question.

�She remembered Dumbledore trying to kill her,� he replied. �It was devastating to her to realize that he considered her expendable, and that her parents were not going to stop him.�

�It�s hard to believe that Molly and Arthur would do that,� Harry said.

�Perhaps they did not believe that Dumbledore was truly going to kill her,� Lucius said. �I, too, cannot see the Weasleys sacrificing a child of theirs. I feel that they have too many, but no one can doubt that they love their children. Something is wrong, here.�

�Then find out what it is, Lucius,� Voldemort said. �I must take a step that I was waiting for. I wanted to keep my other children out of these matters until the final battle.�

�Other children?� Harry asked.

�I have two sons that are a year older than you,� Voldemort explained. �They are very powerful, and they are being educated at Durmstrang. The reason that Karkaroff left so abruptly when I was reborn was to make certain that he was the one to carry the word of my return to my sons.�

�That�s shite and you know it, father,� Aquila�s voice made them all turn. She had a few bloody rents in the left sleeve of her dress, but she looked uninjured. Snape was behind her.

�Karkaroff ran to try and tell them that you were coming to kill them,� she said, sitting down on a sofa with Snape. �He thought he could curry favor with them. He hasn�t been seen because they killed him for his lies, and then disposed of his transfigured corpse.�

�Your information would be better than mine, of course,� Voldemort smiled at his daughter. �You have been in communication with them since they were old enough to write.�

�If you call them,� Aquila said. �They will be more than happy to come to you. They�ve been champing at the bit, as it is. If you are thinking what I believe you are, then summoning them for the summer would be an excellent notion. If Miss Weasley�s attachment to Harry isn�t genuine, then I don�t see how she could resist one or both of the twins.�

�Oh no,� Draco groaned, hanging his head. �Not more twins.�

�These are not the Weasley twins, Draco,� Aquila chided. �Castor and Pollux are very serious, and a great deal darker than those red-headed delinquents.�

�Speaking of which,� Harry ventured. �I�m in, and I bet I can get Fred and George on our side. There�s no way that they�d put up with Dumbledore sacrificing their one and only sister. Ron, possibly. Percy, yes. Ginny, never.�

�That is an interesting idea,� Snape said. �They barely passed their classes, but when they were motivated, they were quite inventive.�

�Very well,� Voldemort said. �Severus, you may sound them out, and then determine whether or not any of the other Weasleys might be persuaded to our side. Not one word to them about Harry.�

�That reminds me,� Harry said. �How do you keep anyone from telling about this place, and keep Dumbledore from finding out?�

�With a Fidelus Charm,� Lucius said. �Aquila is the Secret Keeper.�

�That makes sense,� Harry said. �Where did Aquila go to school, anyway?�

�I went to Beauxbaton,� Aquila said. �Dumbledore never saw me, and never knew I existed. If he had, he would have tried to twist me against Father.�

�When did you and Professor Snape meet?� Harry asked.

�That is none of your business, Potter,� Snape growled. Aquila smiled and put a hand on her husband�s knee. To Harry�s surprise, he stopped glowering.

�Be quiet, Severus,� she chided. �He wants to know that romance and love at first sight still exist. You can hardly blame him, considering his upbringing and his father. Stop treating him like James Potter, and see him as Lily�s son, instead.

�We met through Lucius,� she told Harry. �Father had taken me to Malfoy Manor to meet Lucius, hoping that I would marry him. I was just about to graduate. I was rather attracted to him, but he seemed a bit vain to me. Regulus Black was rather handsome, in a dark, dangerous way, but he seemed a bit unstable to me. Then, this young man arrives late. He comes slinking into the drawing room where everyone was gathered, trying not to be noticed. No one there was kidding themselves. They all knew that Father wanted me married, and all of the young men were vying for my attention. Severus didn�t, though.

�Later,� she continued, smiling fondly at Snape. �After I�d dismissed all of them, I sat down for a game of chess with Lucius. He seemed to be the best of the lot, at the time. I told him that if he could beat me at chess, I�d choose him. Lucius was determined to win. He tried every trick in the book, and even tried to cheat. He still lost. While I was reassembling the pieces, he beckoned to someone I hadn�t noticed much, and said �Severus, come over here. She just thrashed me at chess, if you can believe it. I know you can beat her.�

�I thought he was over-confident,� Aquila said, gazing at Lucius. �I looked up to speak to my opponent, and my words wouldn�t come out. I couldn�t stop staring at him, and drowning in those black pools he possessed for eyes.� Her eyes unfocused as she relived that day, and a sweet smile, at odds with her identity as Voldemort�s daughter, crept across her face.

�They never did get to the chess game,� Lucius told Harry. �I consoled myself that at least I lost to the only one who was my equal, in the whole room. I�ve often wondered what life would have been like, with her as my wife, but she and Severus have been so happy that I cannot begrudge them what they have.�

�That was nine children ago,� Aquila said, shaking herself out of her daze. �I�ve never regretted it, and neither has Severus.�

�Speaking of children,� Lucius said. �How many do you plan to have, anyway?�

�Jealous, Lucius?� Snape asked, smirking at him. �We will have as many as Aquila wishes to have. Every pregnancy has been her decision.�

�Well?� Lucius asked, looking at Aquila.

�I don�t know,� she said, with a smirk of her own. �About a dozen or so, I guess. Someone has to make sure that there are sufficient purebloods in the world. You certainly haven�t done your part, Lucius.�

�Talk to Narcissa,� he said. �Once she bore me an heir, I told her that any further children were up to her. She has not conceived since that day.�

�Tell her that if she does not produce more Malfoys,� Aquila said, her face becoming very serious. �I will help Draco find a wife before he graduates Hogwarts.�

�She won�t like that,� Lucius said. �She hates it when anyone tells her what to do.�

�I�m not telling her what to do,� Aquila said agreeably. �I�m giving her a choice. Either she can make more Malfoy�s, or Draco can. I would prefer that it be her. I don�t want to push Draco into marriage that fast.�

�I will relay the message,� Lucius said.

�She has a third option,� Voldemort said. �She can give you a divorce, which would free you to marry a woman who would supply more heirs.�

�I will make certain that Narcissa understands her choices,� Lucius said. �Perhaps I could sweeten the divorce offer with an allowance � � He stood and walked away, still thinking out loud.

�She won�t do it,� Draco said after he had gone. �She likes the prestige of being Lord Malfoy�s wife too much.�

�I think she could be persuaded,� Aquila said. �Does your father have his eye on someone?�

�Yes,� Draco said cautiously. �He�s been seeing someone, on the side. They�ve been discreet because she�s in a responsible position, and he�s married. My mother can be vicious when she wants to be.�

�Draco,� Voldemort said. �Find a way to remind your father that if he sires a child on a witch, he is required by law to make her his wife.�

�What does the law say about an existing marriage?� Draco asked.

�It is considered a sign,� Voldemort said. His eyes grew hooded, just like Hermione�s did when she was remembering something she had read.

�If a wizard is seeing a witch that is not his wife,� Voldemort said. �It is considered that the existing marriage has not formed the requisite marital bond, and it is annulled. Any children from the previous marriage are legitimate, but the first wife has no claim on the husband, the children, or the estate.�

Any further discussion was cut short by the sounds of spellcasting from the other half of the drawing room.

The five of them quickly rose and ran to the next room to see Narcissa, wand in hand, standing over Lucius. He was covering his face with his hands, and both hands were stained with blood.

Voldemort and Aquila exchanged looks while Snape and Draco knelt on either side of Lucius. Harry watched, wishing he knew what to do, while Snape pried Lucius� hands from his face.

Several vicious diagonal cuts were visible on the elder Malfoy�s face, disfiguring what had been a very handsome man.

Aquila quickly stepped forward and backhanded the other witch across the face. While Narcissa was reeling from the blow, Aquila took her wand away and handed it to Bellatrix.

�Don�t let her have it back in this house,� Aquila warned. �Narcissa, you are going to give your husband a divorce.�

�Never!� Narcissa responded, her eyes wide.

�You will give him a divorce,� Aquila said. �Or my mother will break your wand. You have a choice, Narcissa.�

�He�s been stepping out on me!� Narcissa raged. �He deserved what he got!�

�Do you deserve any different?� Aquila asked. �He was discreet. You didn�t even know, and you still wouldn�t if he hadn�t told you. You refused to bear any more children, and he has been asked to sire more. Give him a divorce, Narcissa, or I will find a way to make you sorry.�

�What are you going to do,� Narcissa asked, raising herself to her full height. �Are you going to murder me in front of my son?�

�Perhaps your son should decide your fate,� Voldemort said. Everyone turned towards him.

�You are much colder than you used to be, Narcissa,� Voldemort said. �You were once a lively and engaging witch. What could have changed you? You married the wizard every other witch wanted.�

�He�s impossible!� Narcissa exploded. �He never gets enough!�

�You�re complaining because your husband wants sex all the time?� Aquila blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

�I didn�t marry him to be his private harlot!� Narcissa shouted. �I certainly didn�t agree to be a broodmare!�

�You knew what I required of my followers when you married Lucius,� Voldemort said. �You did not indicate any reluctance to populate the manor with Malfoys.�

�Just because my niece is being a good little baby maker doesn�t mean I will!� Narcissa cried.

�You know I cannot allow disobedience to go unchallenged,� Voldemort said. He briefly turned towards Lucius when Snape and Draco helped him to his feet. They had stopped the bleeding with spells, but the gouges in his face looked more horrible for the lack of blood.

�I have a solution,� Aquila said. �Narcissa did swear fealty to you, Father. She is bound by that Wizard�s Oath to do anything you say. Mother is going to bear Rudolphus a child in about six months. Rabistan is not married. It would be a shame to only have one progenitor of the Lestrange genes.�

�You cannot be serious!� Narcissa raged.

�You have a choice,� Aquila said coldly. �Stay Lucius� wife and bear more Malfoys, divorce Lucius and become Rabistan�s wife, or divorce Lucius and be obliviated of all knowledge of our activities.�

�My lord,� Narcissa turned to Voldemort, pleading. �You cannot expect me to � �

�I can, and I do, Narcissa,� he said. �You will give Lucius a divorce, and you will be confined to the Manor, here, until such time as we have triumphed. You will not, however, bear children to Rabistan.�

�Thank you, My lord,� Narcissa said, looking as though she had won the battle.

�You will bear children to me,� Voldemort said. �I will not have it said that I expect feats of my followers that I am not willing to accomplish, myself. You chose not to bear Lucius more children, but you do not have that choice with me. You will take yourself upstairs and await me in my chambers.�

Narcissa glared at Aquila, but the oath she had made of her own free will left her no choice.

�Yes, My lord,� she said. She swept past all of them and disappeared in the direction of the stairs that led to the upper floors of the house.

�Severus, do what you can with Lucius� face,� Voldemort said. �Help him file the papers. I wlll see to it that Narcissa signs them. As for everyone else, I believe it is time we all went to bed.�

�I will take care of your father, Draco,� Snape said. �Take Harry back to his room, and take yourself to yours.�

�Yes, sir,� Draco said. �Come on, Potter.�

Harry followed Draco up the stairs and to his room, thinking all the time about what he had witnessed. He thought that Voldemort was being cruel, but he was also being fair. In a way, what he had ordered Narcissa to do was an honor. He wondered how Aquila felt about it.

When they got to the door that led to his room, Harry looked at Draco and was surprised to realize that the blonde was as reluctant to leave him as he was to be alone.

�Draco,� Harry said. �Would Professor Snape be cross with you if you didn�t go to your room?�

�What do you mean?� Draco asked. He looked hopeful for a few moments, and then it was as if a mask had dropped down to cover his face. The expression was not there anymore.

�I don�t really want to be alone,� Harry said. �I mean, Voldemort�s upset, so my scar hurts. I saw a lot of blood tonight, so that�s what I�m thinking about.�

�You want me to spend the night with you?� Draco asked, sounding incredulous. Blushing, Harry nodded.

�I know it�s not the sort of thing you normally ask a bloke,� Harry said. �I just don�t want to be alone.�

�Okay,� Draco said. �Let me get some clean clothes, and leave a note. That way, if anyone comes looking for me, then they�ll know where I am.�

�Okay,� Harry said. He waited, scarcely believing his own daring, while Draco disappeared through a door to another room, and then reappeared with some clothing in his hands.

�Let�s go,� Draco said. He led the way into Harry�s bedroom, and pulled off his robe while Harry turned down the other side of the bed and climbed into it.

Both boys were certain that they would be awake all night, but they had barely laid their heads on their pillows when they were both sound asleep.

TBC
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Not As It Seems