Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter or anything else you might recognize.

BlueMapple- I'm sorry to hear that you are septical, but I am not sure what your infection or illness has to do with my story. Sounds awful though. Hope you get better!

October 31st, 1970

Narcissa POV

"Narcissa, stop fidgeting. He'll be here," Andromeda hissed in my ear. The two of us were sitting together at the Slytherin table waiting for the Halloween feast to begin. And more importantly, for my cousin to return to Hogwarts. The one that saved me from eventually getting married to that prick Lucius. The two weeks we had been betrothed at Hogwarts had been awful, as had his advances. I would have been miserable with him.

But thanks to Krios, I was free of him. It was no secret to me or my sisters that Arcturus had no love for us, especially after what my parents did. We were just tools to grow the House of Black to greater heights. I was grateful that Krios did love us, and had looked out for us. He was the one that found the Lestrange contract for Bellatrix that would have doomed her to a life of slavery and mistreatment. Now, she was happily married to a good man and pregnant with child. I had no doubt that he would arrange the same for me and Andromeda if he was able. I knew Andromeda had plans to talk to him about that.

Just as I opened my mouth to respond, the doors of the Great Hall were flung open revealing none other then Krios Black.

"I'm back, bitches!" Krios shouted to some applause and laughter from the four tables, mostly from the redheaded Prewett twins at the Gryffindor table. Beside me, Andromeda groaned as I let out a sigh. He must have been spending too much time with Sirius at home.

"Mr. Black, ten points for Slytherin for your language," Professor McGonagall said with a disapproving look on her face. Her cause was not helped by the amused chuckles of Hagrid, Professor Slughorn and Professor Flitwick on her left.

"Sorry, Professor," Krios said, looking apologetic. This was proved to be insincere as he walked by the Gryffindor table with his hand outstretched. A small bag of gold was placed there by those demonic twins who had no doubt bet that he wouldn't do it. They didn't appear to be upset by that though, as they were undoubtedly amused by the disruption it caused. Even though McGonagall was staring daggers at them, undoubtedly annoyed that she couldn't punish them for that. Betting was entirely legal, and she couldn't prove that was what the bet was. Which is why the twins looked so damn smug.

"Welcome back, Mister Black. After the feast, please come by my office to discuss your new living arrangements," Professor Dumbledore told my cousin with a grandfatherly smile.

"Of course, Headmaster," Krios replied, returning his smile politely. He then sat down beside his friends, giving us a smile as he passed.

"Oh, when I get ahold of him.." Andromeda said, looking irritated. She wasn't the only one, either. Not only had he lost Slytherin points, he was acting as if he hadn't nearly been killed last week. We had both been terrified when we had heard about what had happened at Malfoy Manor. And while even those that wanted to join the Death Eaters had agreed that Krios had been in the wrong place at the wrong time, I was terrified that they or Voldemort would change their minds and target my cousin. And I couldn't lose him.

Krios POV

"Ladies and gentlemen, here he is, the man of the hour, Krios Black, Heir Black and Lord of House Malfoy. He's survived Russian assassins, honor duels, and a Dark Lord. He's rich, he's single, and Kings want him to marry his daughters. Thank you for gracing us commoners with your presence my Lord, it is truly a honor," Eric announced as I made my way over to my friends.

Before I could respond to Eric's attempt at making light of my inability to stay away from dangerous circumstances, a fist flew past the face of Cyrus and connected with Eric's left shoulder.

"It's not funny, Eric! He could have died!" Ramona scolded him angrily.

"Ouch, alright, I was just messing around," Eric said defensively, rubbing his undoubtedly bruised shoulder. Ramona's father was a Muggle-born who had left the Wizarding World and became a MI6 Special Agent, and she had been taught to defend herself before coming to Hogwarts. And from the looks of it, she had been keeping up with her training. She knew exactly what kind of people that she shared a common room with, and knew that being the half-blood daughter of a Muggle-born wizard and a half-blood witch made her a target. I made a mental note to give her and a few of my other friends the chance to join me and Bullock in the training we had planned. They would undoubtedly need it soon enough.

"It's fine, Ramona. Seeing that Eric hasn't grown up at all is neither surprising or offensive to me," I said with a smirk. This comment caused some laughter as Eric spluttered protests over my dig at his inability to take things seriously.

My friends spent the rest of the meal updating me on the latest Hogwarts gossip and what they were learning in class. I knew that I wouldn't be asked about Voldemort and the Malfoys until we all returned to the common room. Slytherin needed to maintain a unified image in front of the other three Houses that currently didn't like them very much thanks to Voldemort claiming to be the Heir of Slytherin.

After the meal, I made my way to Dumbledore's office after assuring my friends that I would see them in the common room. I soon found myself in front of the gargoyle that guarded the Headmaster's office.

"Lemon Meringue Pie" I said, causing the gargoyle to move aside, as this was the password. I then made my way up the stairs. Dumbledore sat at his desk, with his Phoenix, Fawkes, perched nearby. His office was aligned with books and trinkets, but my eyes immediately searched for and found the portrait of my ancestor, former Headmaster Phineas Nigellus Black.

"Evening Grandpa Phineas," I greeted, knowing that it would undoubtedly irk Dumbledore to be ignored in favor of someone who was undoubtedly one of the worst Headmasters in Hogwarts History in his own office.

"Hello, Krios. How is my second favorite member of the House of Black this evening?" Phineas replied with a wide smile. He had immediately seen my slight for what it was, which undoubtedly raised his opinion of me. Especially considering I was now his second favorite Black and this was only the second time I had talked with his portrait, despite the fact that his other portrait had been moved to Black Manor after my mother had been confined there. But then again, Phineas had complained an awful lot about Dumbledore in that conversation.

"I am well, grandfather. I was just dropping by to discuss with the Headmaster about arranging for me to take up residence in the Lord's quarters, as I am now Lord Malfoy by right of conquest, as well as Heir Black. I do believe that I will be the youngest in Hogwarts history to reside there," I said, returning his wide smile with one of my own.

"You would be correct, congratulations my Lord. I have no doubt that the Headmaster will agree to give you what is rightfully owed to you," Phineas replied, glaring at Dumbledore as he did.

"I had no intention of denying him his request, Phineas, despite his age. I just wanted to discuss some things, as the rules regarding those quarters assume that the Lord is of age or betrothed. And the rules regarding the Lord's quarters for Heirs or Lords of families that are as ancient and powerful as the House of Black are rather frowned upon. And I have no doubt that Krios is aware of them. I am aware that you left a copy of the rules and regulations of Hogwarts with your son while you were Headmaster," Dumbledore said with a small sigh, giving Phineas a look of disapproval over his glasses as he did.

"And it was the best birthday present my grandfather has ever given me. Between that and becoming Lord Malfoy, thirteen is looking like it is going to be a year to remember. I had no idea some of the stuff in there was legal in the Wizarding World, let alone at Hogwarts," I said with a wide grin.

I had turned thirteen last week, on the 24th of October. And despite not being Lord Black yet, there was a loophole that allowed me to qualify for all the privileges that a Lord Black would at Hogwarts as I was a Lord of a pureblood house. Even though the Malfoys were not one of the families considered to be the Founding Twelve members of the British Wizarding World, as they were originally from France.

But the Blacks were one of the Founders, alongside the four founders of Hogwarts, House Bones, House Greengrass, House Longbottom, House Emrys, House Le Fay, House Peverell, and House Pendragon. House Emrys, House LeFay, House Ravenclaw, House Gryffindor, and House Pendragon were either extinct or its members were unaware of their inheritance. House Smith were descended from Helga Hufflepuff, but since the death of Lady Hepizabah Smith in the 1950's, no member of their rather extensive family had qualified for the title. House Slytherin had only had two lords since Salazar's son, the last in the 18th century. And the Peverell's had their descendants in the Potters and the Gaunts, but no one had either tried or been able to claim that seat in centuries.

Apparently, the Founding Twelve had some magic on their family rings that proved their status as the Lord of their House that kept their assets and political power safe from those who didn't deserve them. The standards for House Black, House Longbottom, House Bones, and House Greengrass were probably lower than the others, as those seats were filled more often than not in the Wizengamot.

"The last one to use those rules to his advantage ended up going too far and was thrown into Azkaban. I do not wish for you to bring the same fate on yourself," Dumbledore warned me.

"I appreciate your concern, Headmaster. But I am only thirteen, and I have no intention of taking advantage of most of those rules. I will probably be spending most of my nights in the Slytherin dorms until the school year ends anyway. But I think that we can both agree that the Silvanius Gaunt was not the most mentally stable of men. Only a complete idiot would try to use a love potion on a daughter of the Lord Bones to try and make her his consort. Not even the fact that his father Corvinus was only the second Lord Slytherin since the death of Salazar himself could protect him from the consequences of that stunt. Especially since the Lord Bones at the time was the Head of the Auror Department. He's lucky he died in Azkaban," I said with a slight grimace.

"Mental instability definitely played a part in the downfall of both Silvanius Gaunt and his descendants, and has caused many more problems since then," Dumbledore agreed wearily.

"And the last of them still is. I just hope that Tom Riddle can be dealt with soon enough. Anyone who entrusts something to one of his followers that reminds a Master Auror of something that belonged to Heinrich Kemmler is clearly beyond redemption," I said with a grimace.

"What?!" Dumbledore asked, paling in shock. My words had clearly shocked the Headmaster to the point that he had lost his composure in front of one of his students, and a Black at that. Not to mention the fact that I was aware of who Lord Voldemort really was, but he likely would assume that my grandfather had been told by someone who went to school with the Dark Lord or had made the connection somehow and had told me.

"Yeah. Moody freaked out a bit before he destroyed whatever it was. His reaction was something I will certainly never forget. Bullock even had my grandfather Obliviate the memory for him, it was apparently that bad," I said.

"Is it possible that you could show me the memory?" Dumbledore asked politely.

"I'm afraid that I cannot. It was Bullock's to begin with, so I don't have it. I have no idea what the artifact was, and I don't want to. Plus, my grandfather and Warlock McCoy told me not to share my memory of the event with anyone, especially you," I replied, inwardly smirking that I was going to be keeping Dumbledore in the dark. I was very interested in hearing his response, especially considering he had paled slightly at the mention of Ebenezer McCoy, the White Council's Chief Enforcer and Assasin.

"McCoy is involved?" Dumbledore asked with some surprise. There was no love lost between Albus Dumbledore and Ebenezer McCoy. After Albus had defeated Grindelwald, he had insisted on imprisoning him in Grindelwald's own personal fortress, Nurmengard. This was a spectacularly terrible idea for many reasons, as Grindelwald had powerful allies and was an exceptionally powerful necromancer. The White Council has been chasing Grindelwald at the time of the duel, and had argued for Grindelwald's immediate execution.

Dumbledore won the argument, mainly due to the fact that he now had the backing of the ICW and several Ministries of Magic that had shown up. Even though as a necromancer and ability to use wandless magic placed him under the White Council's jurisdiction, his use of a wand gave Dumbledore a legal argument to take control of his custody. It was an argument that had caused several problems between the wand-using wizards and the wandless wizards for years.

Taking Grindelwald by force would have cost the White Council too much, so they let Dumbledore take Grindelwald. Only, they didn't let the matter lie for long. As soon as Grindelwald stepped into Nurmengard in chains, Ebenezer used his Blackstaff to fly what was left of a defunct B-27 that had been shot down in Germany and that he had filled with explosives into the prison, killing Grindelwald and everyone else in it, including a few German Aurors.

Dumbledore knew that the Blackstaff and the White Council was behind it, but Kemmler was the one blamed for the incident, allegedly in order to keep Grindelwald from giving up information. And Dumbledore couldn't prove otherwise, and had allegedly held a grudge ever since. A grudge that was most certainly returned, as Dumbledore had arrived late with much needed ICW support during the final battle with Heinrich Kemmler in 1961.

They had managed to kill Kemmler for good after Dumbledore arrived, but the White Council had lost most of their people in the process. And neither McCoy or the White Council had ever forgotten or forgiven what Dumbledore's lateness, unintentional or not, had cost them that day. And they had gotten a small measure of revenge when they helped my grandfather get the votes necessary to remove Dumbledore from his positions as the Head of both the Wizengamot and the ICW. I doubt that Dumbledore had put that together until now, though.

"Yeah, as soon as Bullock showed the Lord Black the memory, he immediately contacted the White Council. They are the ones with jurisdiction on anything related to Kemmler. And they sent the Blackstaff. Apparently he is their point man for anything related to Kemmler. Lord Black seemed rather pleased by this, apparently they are rather close friends," I said, inwardly crowing about how badly this was affecting Dumbledore. He was obviously not pleased. At all.

"I see. Thank you Krios, you have given me much to think about. You may return to your new quarters, Professor Slughorn is waiting for you outside and will show you the way," Dumbledore said, maintaining his composure.

"Thank you, Headmaster, goodbye Lord Black," I said, nodding at the portrait. I quickly walked out before he realized he had forgotten to ask me what special privileges I would be taking advantage of. He was going to be annoyed when he found out that I had taken advantage of the rule that allowed me to have unlimited access to the Restricted Section, among other things.

Professor Slughorn was waiting for me when I reached the entrance of the Headmaster's office. We made small talk until we reached the seventh floor. To my surprise, the Lord's quarters were behind the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy. Which just happened to be across from the Room of Requirement. Needless to say, I was rather pleased with the arrangement.

"Snickers," Slughorn said, which caused the tapestry to swing open, revealing the room behind it. He then instructed me how to change the password, before leaving me to make myself at home.

While the room was a large room that reminded me of the rooms back at Black Manor, it was clear that I was likely the first Slytherin to use it. Red and gold decorated the room. Dumbledore had clearly meant to slight or influence me by giving me the quarters meant for a Lord that was a Gryffindor. Unfortunately, he had failed to bother me by doing so.

"Kreacher, Gremlin, Mipsy, Topsy, Binky," I called. My five House Elves appeared in front of me. I gotten three elves from the Malfoy estate. "Kreacher, check this place for monitoring charms and portraits and remove them if they are there. Gremlin, go to the kitchens and inform the House Elves there that this room is off limits to any elves besides the five of you. I know that you want to be the ones taking care of me. Mipsy and Binky , I want you to redecorate this place in a manner that suits me as Lord Malfoy and Heir Black. Make it look more like my room at home. Topsy, take me down to the Slytherin entrance in the dungeons. Afterwards, help with the decorating. Please let me know when you are finished," I told them.

"Yes, Master Krios," the answered in unison. With my room now in the process of being secured from the meddling Headmasters and any of his possible spies, Topsy popped me down to the dungeons. I sighed, knowing that I had a lot of questions that my housemates wanted answered. Ones that I had no desire to give.

"Silver Fangs" I said. The password revealed the passageway that led to the Slytherin common room. When I entered the common room itself, I was greeted by the majority of Slytherin House. It appeared only the first years had gone to bed. While I wasn't surprised, I had hoped that most of my housemates had gone to bed. But it appeared that everyone wanted to know what had happened, as the Daily Prophet had been very vague on the details of the attack, due to the lack of information they had been given.

"What!!?" I snapped at them, hopefully sounding as irritated as I was. It worked for the most part, clearing out the smarter members of my House out as they realized they weren't going to get any information from me tonight, or possibly ever. Hell, even Rosier, Lestrange, and the majority of the ones that I had pegged as wannabe Death Eaters cleared out and headed to bed, although it appeared that Rosier had been elected to sit partially hidden in the fifth-year stairwell in case the dumber members of our House pissed me off enough and caused me to give away anything.

A few moments later, the only ones remaining were the people I wanted to talk to (my cousins and friends), the ones that I needed to talk to (Steve Laughalot, Crabbe, and Goyle), the eavesdroppers (Rosier, the seventh year prefects, Umbridge, and Hopkirk to name a few) and the ones that wanted information they had no right to. This group included sixth year prefect Waldo Montague, his best friend Adam Macklebee, the burly fourth year Walden MacNair and his older brother Walder, third year Willard Macklebee, Derron Flint, and a few other upperclassmen that I didn't remember the names of. I sat down on the couch in the common room and waited for the first person to speak. To my surprise, it was Flint.

"Lord Malfoy, on behalf of the House of Flint, I would like to apologize for my family's part in the attack on Malfoy Manor. Please accept this gift as a peace offering between our two houses," Derron Flint said, placing a large sack of Galleons on the table in front of me. I was slightly surprised by this, as his father had been killed by Aurors in a raid on the Flint Manor the day after the attack. Though trying to kill Aurors while nursing a bad leg that made it difficult to walk was not the brightest idea in the world, so that may have hade something to do with it.

"On behalf of both House Malfoy and House Black, I accept your peace offering. The House of Flint is forgiven for its previous actions against the House of Malfoy," I replied formally.

"Thank you, Lord Malfoy," Derron said, smiling at me gratefully, before turning away and heading back up to his dorm.

This exchange seemed to give Montague and the others pause, as they were huddled together discussing something. So, Crabbe and Goyle were the next ones to approach me. The Crabbes and the Goyles had gotten into deep debt a century or so ago. And it was all owed to the Malfoys. The two families realized that they would never be able to repay the Malfoys in their lifetimes. Thus, a contract of eternal service had been drawn up. The Crabbes and the Goyles were tied to the Malfoys with a magical contract that ensured their loyalty and service to the House of Malfoy until the end of time or the extinction of their House. And because it was tied to the House and not the Malfoy family themselves, I had inherited the contract.

Because this was undoubtedly a sensitive subject for them, we quickly agreed to meet privately tomorrow morning in an abandoned classroom in the dungeons. I was unable to release them from the contract due to how it was written, so we would have to make the best of the situation. I had a feeling that they were relieved to be working for me instead of Lucius. Being forced to be friends to the blonde prat must have been exhausting.

During this time, Montague and the others left, all glaring at me slightly as they left. The Aurors had not yet tracked down the elder Macklebee, but they were hunting him. There was a warrant out for the arrest of Pollux and Cassiopeia Black as well, making them the first confirmed Death Eaters at large. Macklebee had been recognized by the Aurors after his mask was blown off by my Blasting Curse. And I could recognize Pollux anywhere. And anyone with more than a few brain cells could tell you that if Pollux was involved, Cassiopeia most certainly was. That bitch is crazy.

Once Laughalot had been convinced that I was prepared for the game next week against Hufflepuff, I headed up to my dorm, followed by my five friends and three cousins. Once we were there, I immediately took charge of the conversation.

"Alright, I am not going to get into the details about what happened at Malfoy Manor. I have no desire to relive the experience of watching someone being murdered or being burnt alive by Fiendfyre. If you could make sure that everyone else in Hogwarts is aware of that, it would be appreciated," I said firmly.

My friends and family paled slightly at my words. They were undoubtedly now fully realizing how awful the experience had been. "I'll make sure that makes its' way through the Hogwarts rumor mill," Adrianne promised, as she was someone who always had a knack for uncovering information and had made friends in all four houses that helped keep her informed. She didn't spread any false information though, and always checked her facts. I suspected that if she and Umbridge ever worked together, they could blackmail the entire Ministry and Wizengamot to dance to their tune. Thank Merlin they hated each other.

"We've got your back, Krios," Eric said with a serious look on his face. Hadrian and Cyrus both nodded in agreement.

"If you ever need to talk to someone about it, I'm here to listen," Sam said softly, putting her hand on my shoulder. Ramona nodded fervently beside her. Despite the fact that my friends were all ambitious and conniving at heart, I somehow got the feeling that they all meant it. They were good people. And while I am sure that they would undoubtedly use our friendship to get ahead in the future, I also knew that they would have my back. Although I had no intention of testing that by dragging them into any conflict with Voldemort and his ilk. I hoped that I could keep them safe by having them remain neutral, like their families currently were.

"Thank you all. You are all good friends, and I will never forget that," I said, smiling at them all. This got a smile from all of them, as they knew as well as I did how much my friendship would help them, especially after we were done with Hogwarts.

"Krios, could we talk as a family? Privately?" Andromeda asked. I studied her for a moment. She looked genuinely concerned about something. I nodded, and my five loyal friends vacated the room, although I did hear Hadrian grumble good-naturedly about being kicked out of his own room. Eric stayed with me, as he was family. Although judging by the glares Narcissa and Andromeda were giving him, they wanted him to leave too.

"Do you want me to leave too?" Eric asked, having noticed the twin glares he was getting.

"Yes", "No," the three of us said simultaneously. Eric looked rather unsure what to do, before deciding that the girls would likely hurt him if he stayed despite my protests. So he left after telling us it was fine, grinning at me as he left me to my fate, the traitor.

Andromeda immediately put up some silencing charms before shoving a piece of paper in my hands. "Read," she demanded. I was stunned, she had never acted like this before. I braced myself for bad news as I read the letter aloud.

"Andromeda, I am writing to inform you that you have been betrothed to Rodolphus Lestrange and will be marrying him as soon as you receive your NEWTS next summer. I expect you to do your duty as a daughter of the House of Black when the time comes. Make sure you know how to please him properly. Rabastan Lestrange has volunteered to show you the ropes.

Lord Arcturus Black

"What?!" Narcissa shrieked. Apparently she hadn't been told, either. I was stunned. I had never expected this. I had thought that Arcturus would never allow my cousins to marry a Lestrange after what happened. I knew that the Lestranges had the resources to tempt my grandfather into another betrothal contract, but I was shocked that he had accepted.

"I'm sorry, Andromeda. I had no idea he was planning this," I told her.

"I can't marry Rodolphus! He's a pig! And Rabastan is no better," she wailed, tears streaming down her face. Narcissa embraces her sister, trying to comfort her.

"I will make sure Rabastan won't even dare to touch you here. But there's nothing else I can do. I've already overstepped when I used that goodwill from becoming Lord Malfoy to make new arrangements for Narcissa, and even then I had to agree to marry Natalia and make her the Lady Black!" I said, throwing my hands up in frustration and defeat.

"What?" Narcissa snapped her head so quickly to look at me in shock I could've sworn I heard her neck crack.

"Yes, I managed to use the fact I had gained the position as the new Lord Malfoy to make a deal with my grandfather. He will no longer be the one in charge of arranging your marriage, that duty now falls to me. I don't want him forcing either of you girls to endure a bitter marriage to some asshole. I tried to get both of you girls freed in the deal, but he refused. He said he had already signed a betrothal contract for you. It explains why he didn't tell me who, he knew I would have fought him over it," I said, the last part rather bitterly.

Andromeda and Narcissa looked at me in shock. The idea that I had risked my grandfather's goodwill for them, something that was extremely valuable until I became Lord Black, had rendered them speechless. Such a thing was unheard of in the high-society circles we were a part of.

Narcissa embraced me and kissed me on the cheek. "Thank you, Krios. I can't believe that you did that, sacrificing so much for me. I am eternally grateful. I know that I can trust you to ensure my future," Narcissa said softly, a tear of joy and relief falling down her face.

"You're my cousin. I will always look after my family. And it honestly isn't much of a sacrifice. Natalia is a sweet girl, and I can see myself being happy with her as my first wife. And the benefits our marriage brings are far too enormous to refuse. It was always going to happen. It was just sooner than I had hoped," I said with a shrug of my shoulders.

"Thank you for protecting Narcissa. You have done so much for me and my sisters, and you have more than enough. I will do my duty. I knew in my heart that it was unlikely that all of the Black sisters got a happy ending," Andromeda said, tears still falling. There was a determination on her face, though. We all knew that Arcturus would find a way to make life extremely difficult for all of us if she didn't. But I silently vowed to look over the contract and try to get her out of it.

"I really wish that this Quidditch game would take some of the attention off me, but that's not in the cards since I am the Seeker," I thought to myself as I sat down for breakfast seven days after I returned. I had a Quidditch game to win in a hour, but I just wanted people to stop paying attention to me. I had no desire for anyone to notice the out of control hormones that I have been dealing with since I got back. Not getting caught eyeing the girls has been enough difficult.

It was my fault for not researching the runes I had used in the ritual properly. I was physically bigger, stronger and faster than a normal thirteen year old, which was good. But a heightened sex drive was a side effect of one of the runes I used in the ritual, something that I hadn't realized until the morning after I returned. I am extremely glad I know Occlumency and can control my desire to want to bend over and fuck the more attractive girls in Hogwarts senseless. Including my female friends and cousins, which is not good at all. Especially since I suspect that Narcissa has a small crush on me for getting her out of the clutches of Lucius Malfoy and the thirty year old German pureblood my grandfather had been planning to marry her off to. And even worse, the teachers have been paying more attention to me then usual.

Professor Kipling had looked like he wanted nothing more than to interrogate me about my encounter with Voldemort, but the looming presence of Auror Bullock in the castle and the warnings he had received from Dumbledore, McGonagall, and my grandfather were enough to deter him. Bullock warned me that he would not be deterred forever, and was only waiting for the fervor over the incident to die down a bit. Escaping the wrath of a Dark Lord at age twelve, even if he wasn't really trying to kill you, was apparently a big deal.

But he and the other members of the staff seemed to go out of their way to show their appreciation and relief that I had survived the encounter. I had racked up quite a few points for Slytherin. Even McGonagall had awarded me more points than usual when I answered a question right, something she never did for a Slytherin. And the other students didn't bother me, although there was some awe mixed in with their greetings these days. Something that didn't surprise me too much, all things considered.

Bullock had kept his distance from everyone besides me. He had been isolating himself outside of our rigorous training sessions in the Room of Requirement, where we could practice without any supervision from the staff. It also allowed me the chance to stealthily acquire Ravenclaw's Diadem, which was now sitting in my secure, personal vault in Gringotts, courtesy of my house elf Kreacher. I had made sure to leave a note with my account manager at Gringotts, a goblin named Bloodfist, to destroy the contents of the vault by any means necessary.

The goblin had been repulsed when he realized what Voldemort had done, and had written me a note saying that he was glad that I was intelligent enough to recognize that there was a curse on it, as most humans would have put it on. Apparently, I had impressed him with that, and was apparently flattered by the fact that I trusted that they could deal with it. Wizards spent far too much time looking down on goblins, and often failed to recognize that they were the best cursebreakers around.

My hunch that they knew things that wizards had long forgotten paid off, as they had managed to remove the soul shard without destroying the diadem. I now was in possession of a priceless artifact, despite the fact that it couldn't enhance your intelligence anymore. Voldemort's foul magics had made sure of that. But it was still the diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw. Although I intended to keep the fact that it was in my possession a secret for now.

I had no desire to make Voldemort suspect that I knew his secret. I was currently the only one who knew that, as Bullock, McCoy, and Arcturus hadn't figured out what exactly what the diary was, as it had been completely destroyed by the flames of Moody's Fiendfyre. Although Bullock told me that they had their suspicions, but they couldn't know for sure. Not without the diary. And the spells Arabor had used to identify were unidentifiable in the memory, giving them no leads as to what it was. They only knew that it belonged to Voldemort, as the name Tom Marvolo Riddle was a bit of giveaway to those who knew his real identity, which my grandfather did.

Bullock been a great teacher in our training sessions, and it was clear that he felt responsible for me and was grateful that I had avenged Martha. Apparently he and Martha McKinnon had been engaged. I suspected that he wouldn't be staying at Hogwarts for much longer, especially once her three younger siblings returned to Hogwarts after the funeral in tomorrow, which I would be attending. I owed her and her family that much.

I had realized after watching Bullock's memory of her death that she had been saving my life when she was killed. Pollux, a member of my own family, had aimed a killing curse at my back. He had gotten a clear shot from an angle somehow. But Martha had disarmed him, causing his curse to shoot into the sky instead. And this had allowed Snyde to catch her off-guard with his killing curse, ending her life. Pollux has been fumbling for his wand when I had killed Snyde and seriously injured Flint, so he had only assumed that Bullock was responsible.

To say my grandfather was furious when he saw that Pollux was definitely trying to kill me is like saying that water is wet. Pollux was now being hunted by every bounty hunter in Europe right now, as there was a five thousand galleon reward on his head, dead or alive. And in the meantime, I owed the McKinnons a life debt, something that I was not excited about. I don't like the idea of being indebted to anyone, but I knew the fate that awaited the McKinnons in the war, and I knew that I would have wanted to stop that, life debt or not. They did not deserve to be wiped out, and I would make sure that it didn't happen.

Lord Marcus McKinnon had once been the last of his line, but he had remedied that by marrying a Smith and having seven children. After Martha, there were two older boys that had already left Hogwarts. The oldest, Mark, was married and had a baby girl already, despite only being twenty years old. Then there was Susan, a sixth year Hufflepuff, George, a fourth year Gryffindor, and Hannah, a second year Puff who I had Charms and Herbology with. Though I hadn't spoken more then a few words to her despite my admiration for her sister. I vowed to change that. They also had a younger sister, Marlene, that would be starting next year.

Crabbe and Goyle had confirmed their loyalty to me and the House of Malfoy, and had ended up spending quite a bit of time with me and my friends in the common room after classes. Dunces they may be, but they were smart enough to understand that their futures were best served by working with me. Especially since there was no way for me to release them from the contract, as it was ironclad and had no loopholes. But they had both assured me that they were okay with that. They had never been raised or even allowed to think for themselves anyway.

They had both sworn a magical oath to never take the Dark Mark as well, something that they had insisted upon once I had told them how their fathers had died. Especially once I had suggested that the Dark artifact that was being destroyed had compulsion charms on it that had affected their decisions. Which was quite possible, considering the nature of the Horocrux diary. The thing was pure evil.

Just as I thought that, I noticed Eric nudging Hadrian with his shoulder out of the corner of my eye. "Look who's back," he said quietly, pointing at the doors of the Great Hall.

"The Hufflepuffs walking together into the great hall happened this morning, and every meal since the school was founded, Eric, hardly something to get excited about. Unless you have something you want to tell us," Hadrian said jokingly, having only taken a slight glance at the group. He was far too busy inhaling his breakfast. At least he swallowed before speaking, unlike a certain Bilius Weasley at the Gryffindor table.

"No, you prat, the McKinnons are back," Eric hissed at him in annoyance. I looked up in shock at that, having been halfway tuning out the conversation to that point. I had sent the McKinnons a letter before I went back to Hogwarts, giving them my condolences and acknowledging the life debt that I owed them, telling them that she had saved my life. Lord McKinnon had sent a reply, and had thanked me for the letter and acknowledged the debt. He assured me that he would speak to me at the funeral about the best way to settle it.

Life debts were a tricky thing, and no one wanted to owe one to someone. Since the one in debt could be asked for nearly anything in return for saving a life. Fortunately, an unselfish act was required to trigger a life debt, and you couldn't trick Magic into making someone owe you one. It was rare for someone to demand something outrageous for saving someone's life, as it was usually a kind and unselfish person doing the saving.

The worst recorded scenario of a life debt settlement was some guy taking the daughter of the man he saved as his wife a few hundred years ago or becoming a vassal to the Lord that saved them, which was more common. But McKinnon wouldn't dare to ask for something too outrageous. Making an enemy that no longer owes you anything is a bad idea, especially if the enemy is the House of Black. And my grandfather would make them pay if they went too far in their demands. I know for a fact that Lord McKinnon and Lord Black had been corresponding about settling the debt as quickly as possible.

But not only was the return of the McKinnons a morale boost for the Hufflepuffs, Susan McKinnon was the star Chaser for the Hufflepuff Quidditch team as well. And she had been playing with fellow Chasers Persia Fawcett and Caroline Dawson for two whole years now, this being their third. Hufflepuff had only missed winning the Quidditch Cup by ten points on an impressive catch of the Snitch by the Ravenclaw Seeker, Gregory Rochester, who had graduated and was now playing with Puddlemere United as a reserve. They were by far the favorites to win the Quidditch Cup this year, as they returned their entire team this year. It was also the last chance for their Captain, Persia Fawcett and their Keeper, Randolph Fawley, to win it.

I knew immediately that I had to get to the Snitch as quickly as possible. We had two new Chasers, and Flint was just recovering from the flu. Crabbe and Goyle were going to be as fine, as they weren't thinkers and would just hit the Bludgers around as he always did. Laughalot was an excellent keeper, but Fawcett was being scouted by multiple professional teams, as was Susan McKinnon and her roommate, sixth year Beater Margaret Jones. Hopefully, our Captain was up to the challenge.

AN: I wanted to fit the Quidditch game into this chapter, but it didn't. Oh well. Dumbledore grows more suspicious of the activities of the House of Black, and is not excited about all the privileges and power Krios and his family are accumulating. There will be a Dumbledore POV giving more detail on that in one of the next two chapters, including more details on the workings of the power structure of the magical government from Dumbledore's viewpoint. I hope you enjoyed some of the details on history of the Wizarding World in my story, as it will be relevant in the future. And Ebenezer McCoy won't be involved for long. But the White Council will send a replacement, as they suspect that Voldemort studied under Kemmler before he died. More details on that in a couple chapters.

Voldemort is down two Horocruxes, thanks to the curse breakers of Gringotts. Although he doesn't know that, as it hasn't been a part of him for many years, and Gringotts has excellent wards preventing any backlash from Dark artifacts like that. Krios made a mistake in the ritual that has come back to bite him. The adult part of his brain from his previous life is suppressing his hormones, even though his new rooms and his status make sleeping around rather easy. He will do so, eventually. Sirius won't be the only ladies' man in the Black family. The Wizarding World is very open about sex, as Arcturus's letter shows. There's expectations there. Although this will not be a detailed smut fic. There will be very little details, if at all. I may write a more adult version of this fic on a site that doesn't have rules against it, but only if I get enough people that want me to.

And yes, Krios owes the McKinnons a life debt, since Martha saved his life. Although they won't be demanding a life or anything outrageous like Krios did with the Malfoys. Krios is not only innocent in her death, but he averaged her by killing Snyde, her murderer. Something that Lord McKinnon is certainly aware of. Martha and Arabor's funerals will be emotional events for those involved. And Krios is engaged! And so is Andromeda, who is scheduled to be married in the summer of 1972. The fallout of those announcements will be featured in the next chapter, as well as the funerals and the Quidditch game. I will have that out before the end of the month, hopefully sooner. Hope you enjoyed.