Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by J.K. Rowling. No money is being made.

Warnings: This story will have slash, violence, torture, and a bit of gore.

Chapter 22 – Darkness rising

She didn't like night shifts at all, truthfully she absolutely despised them. They were so boring, so mind-numbing boring that she sometimes honestly wished for there to be a burglary, or an assault or something, just so that the mind-numbing boredom would stop.

Fortunately that night she actually liked the company. Not counting Kings, the other members of the squad were people that she liked even though they weren't that close.

"You look to be on the verge of falling asleep," Kingsley remarked, taking a seat beside her.

"You can't tell me you aren't," Tonks grumbled.

"I claimed no such thing," Kingsley replied, a teasing light in his eyes, "Though I hide it better than you."

"I'm sure it comes from the years of experience," she teased right back.

Before Kingsley could reply an alarm sounded in the room, making everyone go on high alert.

"That's the Azkaban alarm," one of the aurors whispered, looking as shocked as most of the ones in the room.

"Think it's a drill, Kings?" Tonks asked.

"I wouldn't count on it," he replied grimly, "Alright people, get ready for the portkey!" he called, watching as they all rushed towards the emergency portkey that had a countdown over it, "Tonks, this may be the really deal. Be careful," he whispered to her, before joining the others by the portkey.

Tonks took a deep breath and grabbed the portkey just before the countdown reached zero. She could only hope that if it truly was the real deal that the other squads arrived soon.

What seemed like an eternity later they landed on what could only be described as a battle field. It took a moment, just one moment, and the two aurors that had been beside her were on the ground, their lifeless eyes staring up at her.

"Tonks, down!" she heard Kingsley shout and just like in countless other situations she complied without even thinking. The only difference was that those specific situations had been in training and this was truly life or death.

"Tonks! Tonks, look at me!" it took her a second to react, a second that took the life of another of the aurors standing near her.

"Focus, Tonks!" Kingsley gripped her shoulder and almost dragged her behind a boulder.

"Hey, Tonks, you have to focus," she finally looked at Kingsley, noticing the grim look in his eyes.

"Sorry," she murmured, "I'm focused."

Kingsley searched her eyes for a moment then nodded.

"Good. We have to move, they'll find us in seconds if we stay here. Stay close to me. Don't try to help those that are down, it will get you killed. Avoid shields, dodge the spells and save you energy for spell work," Kingsley advised, "Ready?"

"Yeah," she nodded, though she felt anything but ready.

As soon as they left the safety of their little corner spells started to fly everywhere and she didn't even think when she started shooting back. She wasn't even sure whether she was actually bringing the Death Eaters down, she didn't have the time for it, more focused on avoiding any curses coming her way.

The smell of smoke and blood was making her feel nauseous but she held it in, knowing that she could do nothing about it at the moment.

She dodged to the right avoiding a bright green curse, that could be nothing but the killing curse, and slipped. She grimaced when she noticed that it had been blood that she had slipped on, blood coming from a decapitated body not far from her. Based on the robes she knew it was a fellow auror.

And that was when she heard it.

Laughter.

She looked around, taking in the screams of the dying aurors, the ground drenched in their blood, and she couldn't help but wonder how anyone could laugh when surrounded by such devastation.

She looked up when she heard the laughter again and her breath caught.

"Kingsley..." she whispered, knowing that he wouldn't be able to hear her, so she was rather surprised when he appeared beside her, looking her over, making sure that she was alright, "Look, Kingsley," she told him.

Kingsley glanced at where Tonks was looking and he felt his heart stop for a fraction of a second.

"Dear Merlin," he murmured, "That's the Dark Lord, he's really back."

"Who's that with him?" Tonks asked, still looking at the smaller man that was moving through the aurors as if it were nothing.

"I have no idea." Kingsley replied, "He doesn't look like a Death Eater."

"Neither do those." she said, pointing towards a couple of wizards that were making their way towards Azkaban.

"We'll talk about it later, now's not the time."

Tonks nodded, and then she was moving again. Throwing spells and dodging curses, not thinking about anything else. She couldn't afford to think about anything else. Not about the bodies littering the ground, nor about the blood staining her robes, not even about the fact that she had lost sight of Kingsley.

She felt such relief when she noticed more aurors arriving, knowing that if they hadn't shown up then they would have been lost. Though that relief was short lived when she saw half of a squad dying as soon as they arrived, their deaths caused by two of those that didn't look like Death Eaters. Again she couldn't help but freeze for a second.

So much loss, so much destruction.

She heard giggling, a child like giggle, it sounded so incredibly out of place that she couldn't help but look where it was coming from, only to come face to face with a completely blank mask.

She couldn't contain the shiver of fear that ran down her spine.

"Such a waste," an eery female voice came from behind the mask, "You should thank the fates, tonight is your lucky night."

Then everything went dark and she knew no more.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck." he growled, taking refuge behind a cluster of boulders.

He glanced down at his bleeding leg and cursed again. The auror squadrons were being decimated. Not that he was all that surprised about it if he were being truthful.

Fudge had dropped the required time for training and the required NEWTS that an auror needed. He could still remember his speeches about peaceful times and whatnot. Many of the bureaucrats had agreed with him, though only because reducing all those things saved them millions of galleons in expenses.

And now they could see the results.

All of the aurors, aside from the veterans, looked like school children fighting in playground duels.

The Death Eaters on the other hand fought just as viciously as ever, it was as if they had never stopped fighting. As if this last decade hadn't existed for them, they were fighting as they had when the war had been at it's peak.

And those other fighters, he had never seen them in the previous war. Just who were they? A special section of the Death Eaters? They were just as vicious as them at least.

He cursed again when an explosion sounded just behind him and almost jumped out of his spot when an arm landed at his feet.

"Merlin," he whispered, looking away.

Again he send a silent prayer to the Gods, hoping beyond hope that they were listening. Though, going by the destruction that surrounded him, he highly doubted that they were.

Laughter had him looking to his left, where he could just see the outline of Voldemort and one of those new fighters, though this one had a different colored uniform.

"Let's make things a little hotter, yes?" he was just able to hear the figure over the sounds of the battle around him, "Fiendfyre!"

His eyes widened when he saw the gigantic snake that formed out of the cursed fire. He couldn't help but stare when he saw the control the man had over the fire. For a second he was reminded of another attack that had taken place more than a decade before where Voldemort decimated an entire town with a snake just like that one.

It was beyond terrifying thinking that the Dark side had another fighter that had that amount of power. Terrifying but strangely exhilarating as well, what age was this that had more than one wizard as powerful as that? Being able to live in such a time was awe inspiring, even if he only admitted such a thing to himself.

If most muggles thought that an ordinary wizard had close to godly powers he couldn't help but wonder what they would think of these two. What would they think of wizards that even wizards thought of as close to godly?

"Thanatos!" he heard Voldemort calling and the slim figure turned towards him, that certainly didn't sound as if he were a Death Eater, not with a name like that, "It's time."

All of a sudden the snake grew to double it's size and made way towards Azkaban fortress and he could only stare as Voldemort wrapped his arms around the smaller man and apparated them away. Thanatos' laughter still haunted the battlefield when the gigantic snake swallowed the fortress in it's fiery coils.

He didn't know how long he stood there just watching it burn, however the screams of the hurt and dieing around him brought him out of it. He looked around noticing that all the Death Eaters and those other fighters were gone, leaving nothing but desperation in their wake.

He cast a quick healing spell at his leg, knowing that it wouldn't be enough to heal it completely but at least it was enough to stop the bleeding and numb the pain. It was the best he could under the circumstances.

As soon as he could move without feeling complete agony he started looking over the aurors, helping where he could. He could only hope that the healers arrived soon, otherwise about half of the wounded aurors would perish, the wounds they had far to grave for the meager first aid spells most of the aurors knew.

When he saw bubblegum pink hair amidst all the brown, black, and blond he felt his heart miss a beat.

"Merlin," he whispered, racing to her side, "Tonks," he dropped to his knees beside her, looking for a pulse almost frantically.

He took a shuddering breath when he noticed a strong pulse. He hadn't felt such a relief in a long time. Tonks had been nowhere near ready to be in such a battle, and she was his partner, losing her in this... he would have felt as if it were his fault. He should have been looking after her, especially in this situation.

A quick counter-curse later and Tonks was coming to, looking a little bit out of it, but otherwise fine.

"Kings?" she asked a bit groggy.

"Yeah," he whispered, "Yeah, I'm here. Can you stand?"

"I... yes. Yes, I'm good," she replied, shaking her head.

Tonks looked around and her eyes landed on the still burning fortress.

"Dear Merlin," she whispered, "Who could do that?"

Kingsley didn't even need to look to know what she was talking about.

"Thanatos." he replied, "At least that's what Voldemort called him."

"A Death Eater did that?" she look incredulous and a little afraid, not that he blamed her, he could understand that fear.

"I don't think it was a Death Eater," he murmured, "It was one of those with different uniforms, though this one was in green. I... I'm not sure, but I think it may be another Dark Lord."

Tonks turned to look at him, her eyes wide.

"Another Dark Lord?"

Kingsley nodded gravely.

"We have to go back to the Ministry, get checked over by the healers on duty and see what Amelia tells us, then we'll have to report back to Dumbledore. He must be told what happened, especially about this other group."

Tonks nodded and followed him towards one of the portkey points that the healers were setting up. For once she wouldn't have minded if the night had been a boring one.

"It's the middle of the night, Albus," Sirius grumbled, looking more asleep than awake while he was sitting at the kitchen table in Grimmauld place, "Why did you call us?"

"I am afraid, I have horrible news," Albus said gravely, "Azkaban was attacked by Voldemort."

Absolute silence filled the kitchen for a fraction of a second.

"WHAT?!" Sirius was the first to react.

"It is true," Albus seemed to age in front of their eyes, "Kingsley and Nymphandora were there, they were the ones that told me about it."

All eyes turned towards the two aurors, only then noticing just how tired both of them looked.

"Oh dear," Molly looked both of them over, trying to see if there was anything wrong with them, "Are you hurt?"

"Nah, I'm fine," Tonks smiled at her, "I was only stunned."

"I am fine as well, Molly," Kingsley assured her.

"Thank Merlin," Molly sagged against Arthur.

Most of the Order present looked at her with sympathy. They knew that since the death of her brothers that she grew anxious every time any Order member was involved in a battle against the Death Eaters; they could only imagine how much worse it would be now that she had children in the Order as well.

"Azkaban was emptied and completely destroyed," Kingsley told them, "The auror squadrons that were present were completely decimated. We lost dozens of aurors," he continued grimly and Tonks looked away, pain and grief marring her features.

She had no idea how many friends she had lost in just one attack. Was this what was waiting for them if war truly broke out? This pain? This grief? Gods, how were they supposed to not lose hope when they were faced with such devastation?

"Unfortunately that's not the worst," Kingsley forged on, even though he was just as pained about the deaths as Tonks, "There was another group there. I never saw them in the previous war. I'm almost positive that one of them was another Dark Lord."

The silence this time was different. There was an undercurrent of fear that was impossible to mask.

"What?" it was a whisper and it was impossible to tell where it came from.

"Another Dark Lord?" Sirius asked flatly, "And we are only learning about it now? What about our trusty spy?" he sneered at Snape, "Why didn't you tell us about this? About the attack? About this second Dark Lord? If you can't tell us even this much what use are you?"

Snape sneered right back, glaring at all of those that were nodding, agreeing with Sirius.

"Now, Sirius, I have already told you that Severus has my complete trust," Albus told them all softly, "Severus had already informed me about this second Dark Lord, and yes, it is another Dark Lord," he confirmed grimly, gaining dismayed looks from all those present, "Voldemort himself introduced him to the Death Eaters, as well as the new Dark Lord's followers."

"What can you tell us about them? How long has this Dark Lord been around? Why are they allied? Why haven't we heard of him before?" Bill asked, looking at both Albus and Snape.

"I am afraid there is not much I can tell you about them. Severus was spelled to silence."

"Quite convenient that, isn't it?" Sirius grumbled, ignoring Remus who was trying to shush him.

"What can you tell us?" Arthur asked, moving the conversation along, knowing quite well just how those two hated each other.

"Voldemort introduced this new Dark Lord as Thanatos. He has his own followers. It is unknown for how long he has been active, or what his goals are," Albus told them.

"What about followers? How many are there?" Sturgis asked, looking more at Snape than at Albus.

"There were fourteen at the meeting. I do not know if he has more," Severus said and even with that bit of information he could feel his blood starting to heat up.

"Were there more at the Azkaban attack?" Albus asked, looking at Kingsley.

"I don't know, Albus," Kingsley sighed, "They were different from the Death Eaters. Their uniforms... It was difficult to tell who was who. I could have seen the same person at different points and I wouldn't have known. The Death Eater they have all different masks, we may not know who is behind it, but we can tell it's another person, at least you can see their eyes. These followers... the masks had no face. They were just blank."

"They were creepy," Tonks added, not quite managing to suppress a shudder, "Though I do know that one of those new... What are they called? Do they have a name?" she directed the question at Snape.

"I cannot reveal their name," Snape stated flatly, making Sirius snort.

"As I said, that's quite convenient, isn't it?" Sirius couldn't help but goad him.

"Shut up, you overgrown mutt," Snape sneered, "If you knew just who the Dark Lord Thanatos was, you wou- arghhh."

All those present jumped from their seats when Snape crashed to the floor screaming his throat out. Most of them were looking at him in horror.

"Severus, my boy," Albus knelt down beside him, "What happened?"

"The wards," he got out through gritted teeth, "What I was about to say may have given a clue to who it is and they stopped me before I could say it."

"This is why you can't say anything?" Remus murmured more to himself than truly asking the question.

"This Dark Lord Thanatos sure looks vicious," Diggle remarked, taking his seat back and looking at Snape whom Albus was helping back onto his seat from the corner of his eye.

Kingsley snorted, also sitting back down.

"He burned down Azkaban with an enormous snake made out of Fiendfyre. So, yes, vicious is something that can define him."

"His followers aren't any better," Tonks added.

"Yes, that was what I wanted to ask both of you," Albus was still glancing at Severus every so often, though he knew that Severus would take it quite badly if he fussed any more about him. If there was one thing Albus knew he hated it was showing weakness, especially in front of Sirius and Remus. "Can you tell us anything about Thanatos' followers? Anything that would help us in to identify them?"

"As I said, their uniform makes it extremely difficult for them to be identified," Kingsley shook his head.

"All I know is that one of them is definitely a woman."

"Oh?" Albus' bushy eyebrows rose, "How did you come by this knowledge, Nymphandora?" his lips twitched slightly when he saw the glare the young woman aimed at him.

"She stunned me," she told them, "I heard giggling and it was such an odd sound in the middle of all of that chaos that I turned around to look where it was coming from. I came face to face with a completely blank mask, let me tell you now those things are creepy, and she said something then she stunned me."

"What did she say?" Albus was leaning forward slightly, hoping that it would be something that would be able to help them.

"Something about it being a lucky night. I didn't really pay all that much attention to be honest. I was more worried about the wand she was aiming at me."

"That is quite understandable, my dear," Albus smiled at her and leaned back on his chair. He took a deep breath, looking over all the Order members.

It were far less people than he had hoped, especially since the threat seemed to have doubled. They had suffered heavy losses during the last war and even though they trusted him they were afraid of losing even more. And then there was the unexpected death of Alastor. He had known that his old friend had suffered heavily during the war and that some curses hadn't been completely healed but he had no idea that they had been slowly draining his life. The Healers had told him that they were surprised that the old auror had been able to hang on for as long as he had.

"I believe that there is nothing more we can do tonight. I ask that you keep an eye and ear out. Try to find out something about this new Dark Lord and his followers. See if there is anyone with new policies and ideals. The more we learn about this new threat the better we can prepare ourselves for it."

"We will keep an eye on things," Arthur assured him.

Albus thanked them and the meeting quickly came to an end, most of them anxious to get home. Only Kingsley and the Weasleys remained behind. The Weasleys being permanent additions to the Manor for the moment and Kingsley being far to tired to do anything but crash on the nearest bed.

As soon as Sirius thought that everyone was asleep he sneaked out of his room. He knocked on Remus' door, waiting impatiently for him to open.

"Padfoot..." Remus sighed, once he had opened the door, "I should have known. Are you sure you want to do this?"

Seeing his friend's determined expression he nodded and followed him. Truthfully he wanted to do it just as much as Sirius, he just wasn't sure if they should.

Remus could see Sirius taking a deep breath, then he knocked.

"Enter," not a second later came the reply, and they did just that.

Harry was sprawled on his bed, looking far more awake than he should have been considering the time.

"I take it that Dumbledore called a meeting about the Azkaban raid," Harry said as soon as the door was closed, "That was quick."

"So you were there," Sirius murmured more to himself than the other two occupants of the room, "Why weren't we called? Aren't we your followers too?"

Remus could see that Harry was a bit surprised by the question, not that he could blame him, he sure hadn't expected Sirius to ask him that. Truthfully he had expected a rant or something along those lines.

"Yes, I was there, as were the Ouroboros," Harry replied, "You weren't called for two reason. One being that I wasn't sure how you would react to being in a room full of Death Eaters and the other being that there was the possibility that if you were hurt in the raid there wouldn't have been enough time for you to get healed before Dumbledore called a meeting. Considering how quickly the meeting was called it was a valid fear. Speaking about the meeting," Harry continued before they could say anything, getting up from the bed, "How was Dumbledore alerted so fast?"

Remus and Sirius subconsciously straightened.

"Kingsley Shacklebolt and Nymphandora Tonks were part of one of the squadrons that were called, my Lord." Remus replied, looking straight ahead.

He supposed it should feel strange to call Harry his Lord, but it didn't. He could almost feel his magic purring in contentment. Harry was his Lord, his chosen Lord, so it made perfect sense calling him that.

"I see." Harry hummed, leaning against the wall and staring out of the window, "I suppose it was too much to hope for that Dumbledore would take a little longer to have more information about my followers. At least I prevented Snape from saying anything. How did he act in the meeting? Show me," he directed towards Sirius, who looked him in the eye as soon as the order came.

Legilimency may not be his strongest point, but he was skilled enough to see the memory if the person had it on the forefront of their minds.

In a matter of seconds he had seen the whole meeting and he couldn't help but chuckle.

"It's good to see that my wards are working so well," he murmured, then he smiled at Sirius, "You did good in creating doubt about his usefulness. It may not seem like much but those little things stay in people's minds and when things start to turn sour they won't be able to stop themselves from thinking about them."

"So he truly can't say anything?" Sirius asked, trying to hide the small vindictive smile that had spread on his lips when he saw Snape screaming.

"No, he truly can't," Harry confirmed, "I convinced Tom not to call him to the raid. I do not trust Snape and I believe it would be a mistake to let him know to much. Though he is Tom's Death Eater so I can do nothing about it unless Snape goes against me or if my Ouroboros are directly involved with whatever raid or mission. Keep an eye on him," he instructed and both men bowed their heads.

"Yes, my Lord," they responded in unison.

"Good. Now, the next time there is a meeting I will be calling both of you as well. Your uniforms will be in your wardrobes. I had Kreacher take care of them. You have until then to come to terms with the Death Eaters you'll see there. Get together with the twins, they'll tell you how I expect my Ouroboros to behave. That will be all."

"Yes, my Lord," they gave him a slight bow and left the room, both feeling as if their heart was almost jumping out of their chests.

"Merlin," Sirius muttered, leaning against the wall, "Did you feel that?"

"If you mean my magic practically purring when I called Harry my Lord, then, yes, I felt it."

"Do you think that's how they feel? The Death Eaters?"

Remus took a shuddering breath and almost dragged Sirius back to his room.

"I don't know," he answered, as soon as they were inside, "If it is I don't know how Severus can even think about betraying Voldemort."

"Maybe he isn't betraying Voldemort, maybe he's playing the Order. I never trusted that git," Sirius threw himself onto the bed, for a moment looking like the teen he had ceased to be a long time ago.

"So you think Harry's wrong?" Remus asked and even he was surprised by how harsh he sounded.

"No, I don't," Sirius replied grimly, noticing the amber bleeding into Remus' eyes, "I don't trust Snape. I don't think he can be loyal to anyone but himself. He always was such a weak little thing." he didn't even bother to hide the disgust he felt, "It wouldn't surprise me if he had turned from Voldemort because he couldn't take being cursed for his incompetence. He would always start whimpering, crying just minutes after we started on him, and I think Voldemort would have been far more brutal than we could ever be."

Silence filled the room for a moment and then Remus snorted, falling on the bed beside Sirius.

"What is it?" Sirius frowned.

"I was just wondering how we could have fooled ourselves so much when we were younger," Remus murmured, "We were never Light, Sirius. The way we took enjoyment in Severus' suffering should have been our first clue."

"We were young," Sirius whispered, "We were stupid."

"So stupid," Remus agreed.

"Can I stay the night?" Sirius asked and Remus sighed, looking at Sirius and seeing all the doubts the animagus had, all those fears that only he ever saw.

"Alright," he nodded, knowing that there wasn't anything else he could say, "Though if you shed I'll make you sleep on the floor."

"Thanks, Moony," he almost didn't hear it.

A soft smile lit up his face.

"Anytime, Pads."

The first thing he did as soon as he was home was go to his son's room. He didn't even think about it, he just knew he had to see him. He knew how he had felt after his first raid and he would never let his son go through that alone.

Logically he knew it wasn't the best move he could make, he wasn't even supposed to know that his son was one of them; but Lord Thanatos had given him permission, hadn't he? He had confirmed that his son was one of them, so he was allowed, wasn't he?

Even if he wasn't he doubted that he would have been able to stay away.

He reached his son's room in record time and opened the door without even knocking.

When he saw that the room was empty he froze, panic overwhelming him for a second, then he heard the shower running and breathed in relief.

He was just taking a shower. He was home.

He fell on the nearest armchair, the relief he was feeling leaving him momentarily weak in the knees. Dear Merlin he had never thought that he would feel so out of it. Would he have felt the same if his son had decided to follow his Lord? He didn't know, he supposed he would never know. From what he had seen he doubted that his son would ever turn away from Lord Thanatos. Even if his son was so inclined he was sure that his child wouldn't survive it, and he knew that even if he asked his Lord to help him protect his son that it would be for nothing. His Lord was enchanted with Lord Thanatos and he knew that there would be very little that would make his Lord actively go against Lord Thanatos.

That, more than anything else, made for such a balanced partnership. His Lord may be more experienced and have more followers, but Lord Thanatos had a control over his Lord that was unprecedented. It was exhilarating seeing them interact, it made him have hope for their future.

"Father?"

He looked up, slightly startled that he had been so lost in thought that he a missed the shower turning off.

"What are you doing here, father?"

He looked his son over, who only had a towel wrapped around his hips, his eyes narrowing when he noticed the bruise on his left shoulder. Though what kept his attention was the Ouroboros branded on the fair skin. He wanted to hate that mark, but he knew he couldn't. He knew it had been his son's choice to have it, it was something his son believed in and he could never hate something that his son loved so much.

"I wanted to see how you are."

"I'm fine, father."

"Draco," he sighed, "Please, son, I'm your father. I'm worried. I've been in your place, I know how hard a first raid can be. Just... talk to me."

Draco's shoulders seemed to drop and he fell heavily on his bed.

"Dad," Lucius was startled by the use of dad, it had been so long since his son had called him by anything but father, "I'm truly fine. I'm better than fine actually," Lucius was surprised by the small smile that appeared on Draco's lips, "We did our Lord proud, we didn't fail him."

"You killed people today, Draco."

"I know," his son replied grimly, "And I ask for Magic to have mercy on their families, but I do not regret it. They stood against our Lord, nothing but death awaits those that stand against him. The sooner the world realizes that the better for everyone involved."

Lucius got up from his seat and knelt in front of Draco, taking his hands in his slightly bigger ones. He was a bit astonishment to notice that his hands were only marginally bigger than his son's. It caught him of guard to see how much his child had grown.

He looked into eyes so similar to his own, trying to see the truth in them. He found nothing but complete conviction in his beliefs and a fierce loyalty towards his Lord.

He got up and leaned into his son, kissing his forehead.

"I'm proud of you, Draco," he murmured, needing him to know that.

Even if they had chosen different paths, even if it came down to them fighting each other, he needed Draco to know just how proud he was of having him for a son. He couldn't have asked for a better child, he couldn't be prouder of him.

He felt Draco sighing and slump slightly against him.

"Thank you, dad," came the murmur not a second later and he closed his eyes.

It was hard letting go, extremely so, but in the end he knew that he could do nothing more than be there for his son when he needed him and he could only hope that Draco knew he could come to him whenever he needed to.

"Grandfather," he wasn't really surprised to see his grandson sitting in his study waiting for him, "How's father?"

"So, not hiding it anymore?" he asked instead of answering, taking a seat behind his desk.

"Hiding what?" Theo asked, sitting straighter.

"Your allegiances."

"I never hid them," Theo retorted, "You always knew where they were, with whom they were."

"I always suspected, yes," he confirmed.

He sighed and looked his grandson over. It always surprised him to see just how much he had grown. He couldn't believe that it had been fourteen years since he held this child in his arms, only a baby at the time, lamenting the fate that had befallen his son.

And now in front of him was a young man, someone who knew what he wanted in life. Someone who was willing to fight and kill for what they believed it. Who had killed for what they believed in.

And there was no doubt that he had killed. He had kept a close eye on the Ouroboros. He may not have known which one of them Theo was, but he had seen just how vicious every single one of them had been.

He freely admitted that he hadn't expected for them to be so bloodthirsty, to be so willing to take a life. Most of all he hadn't expected for them to be so good at it.

"He trained you well," he told Theo and he could see his grandson's eyes light up with pride.

"Our Lord always encourages us to improve ourselves, to work on what we love. We do it gladly, we want him to be proud of us. Even before he took his place as a Dark Lord, he was already everything to us."

"Yes, I could see just how enchanted you were," Teodred murmured, "Tell me, Theo, do you love him?"

"Yes," came the sure, firm reply and he almost sighed.

"My Lord he's... He's quite enthralled with Lord Thanatos. He doesn't share."

"I know. I've seen how he looks at my Lord. That doesn't change the fact I love him," Theo smiled, "I doubt I will ever stop loving him, even though I know he won't ever love me back in the same way. I don't mind, as long as I can stay beside him."

Teodred sighed and slumped slightly on his seat.

"I was afraid you would say that," he murmured, more to himself than to Theo, "I just want you to be happy, Theo," he added a little louder.

"I am happy," the smile that lit up Theo's face was one he had never seen, "So happy, grandfather. You truly don't have to worry about that."

And Teodred couldn't find a shred of deceit in his grandson's eyes. Theo was happy with the hand that fate had dealt him, which was something few could say, especially when it was such a hard fate.

He knew how hard it was to be beside the person you loved and know that they didn't love you back, though at least Theo was granted the chance to be more than a follower. Hopefully Theo would grow out of love with Lord Thanatos, just as it had happened with him.

"Your father is in a magical sleep until tomorrow," he said, changing the subject and answering Theo's question, "The healers told me he wasn't as bad as many of the other Death Eaters but he would need a while to recover and the best way to start the recovery is to put him in a healing sleep. We'll go see him tomorrow after lunch."

Theo nodded and got up from his seat, just before he left the room he turned towards his grandfather.

"Thank you," he whispered, smiling at the man who had raised him with so much love and care.

"Anytime, my child," Teodred smiled, "Anytime."

The mood was rather morose when Harry went to have breakfast the following morning. He glanced around the kitchen, looking at who was present, and took a seat beside Remus.

"What's wrong?" he asked looking at the adults present, only to be glared at by the youngest male Weasley.

"As if you wouldn't know," Ron sneered, "Your Death Eater mates must have told you all about the Azkaban breakout."

"Azkaban breakout?" he asked, looking stunned, "What Azkaban breakout?"

"Don't act as if you don't know!" Ron shouted, jumping up from his seat, "Nott must have told you all about how his Death Eater daddy is back home!"

"Ronald!" his mother scolded, looking at her son wide eyed.

"No, mom, he's one of them. He's a filthy Slytherin and you expect us to live here with him?!" Ron turned around to look at his mother, "He's probably telling his Slytherin friends about everything that happens here! He shouldn't be here!"

"Watch your tone," Sirius snarled from further down the table, "This is my home, Harry's home, and he will always be welcomed here. I can't say the same about you if you continue attacking my godson."

"Bu-but he's a Slytherin!" Harry raised an eyebrow when he noticed Ron stamping his foot like a three year old.

"Your point being?" Sirius asked, with all the aristocratic disdain that his parents had bred into him.

Ron looked at Sirius for a second, then glanced around the room, when he noticed that even his family were frowning at him he stomped out of the kitchen, looking like a petulant child.

"I kinda lost my appetite," Harry mumbled, looking down, "Excuse me."

Not a second later he was leaving the kitchen and a small smirk spread on his lips. Oh, this was going great, he couldn't believe that the little Weasley would make it so easy for him. If things continued like that then even if Weasley heard something no one would believe him since they were used to Weasley going on and on about him being a Death Eater. He chuckled thinking about how Weasley would react if he told him that he was actually a Dark Lord. Maybe he should let it slip, just to see his reaction, he was sure that it would be quite entertaining.

He took refuge in the library, knowing that it was a place that the two youngest Weasleys avoided like the plague. All those that mattered would know where to find him, so he picked up a book and curled up on an armchair, planing on spending his morning doing nothing but laze about. After the hectic night he had, he believed it was more than deserved.

Unfortunately his brilliant plan was disrupted when he heard footsteps coming his way. He glanced up and was quite surprised to see the eldest of the Weasley children coming his way with a tray of food.

Bill smiled at him and took a seat on a nearby armchair, putting the tray on the table.

"Hey, I thought to bring you something to eat, even if you aren't that hungry it's always best to have something in your stomach."

"Thanks," he mumbled, taking a chocolate muffin from the tray, "You didn't have to."

"I know," Bill leaned back, sighing, "I just didn't want you to think that we are all like Ron."

"What do you mean?" Harry frowned.

"Ron... he's really close minded, rather prejudiced in fact. I didn't want you to think that we are all like that. The twins, for instance, are very open minded people, I doubt they'll mind that you are a Slytherin. Though it's probable that you'll end up involved in some sort of prank," he finished with a mischievous smile and Harry could see the resemblance to his two demons.

"Why are you telling me this?" Harry asked, looking at the older red-head confused.

"We'll be staying here for a while... it wouldn't do if you weren't comfortable in your own home. So maybe making friends with us would help with that."

"Friends, huh?" Harry chuckled, "Alright, Bill. Let's be friends."

Bill grinned at him and summoned a book from the shelves, settling in to read.

Harry laughed and picked his book back up. Friends, huh? He could work with that.

"Ready to go?" he asked his grandson.

Theo nodded, though he could easily see just how nervous his grandson was. Not that he blamed him, he would be too, if he had been about to meet his father after more than a decade.

He took a firm hold of his grandson's shoulder and apparated them away, knowing that his Lord had added all the Ouroboros to the wards, so he wasn't worried about being able to pop in with Theo.

"This way." he directed as soon as they arrived, going towards the private room that had been given to his son when he was put in a healing sleep.

Theo hesitate for a moment when they reached the door. He had thought about this moment for so long that he couldn't believe that it was finally happening. He never thought that he would feel as nervous as he was feeling. His father had been in Azkaban for so long, what if it had broken him? He had seen that Sirius hadn't made it out of there in one piece, he hid it well, but Azkaban had scarred him deeply. What if his father was worse?

And how would he react to the fact that he was a Ouroboros? He didn't know how he would react if his father was against it. He wouldn't turn on Harry, that he knew, but could he accept a father that was against the choices he had made? He didn't think he could and he knew that that was something that would destroy his grandfather, which was the last thing he wanted to do.

He took a deep breath and followed his grandfather into the room, knowing that there was no point in delaying it, only to freeze as soon as his eyes landed on his father.

He had never expected for his father to look so much like him. True, he had been told by his grandfather that he looked a lot like his father, he had also seen pictures; but actually seeing it was quite a shock.

He looked as much like his father as Draco did his own. It was slightly staggering.

"Tadeus," he heard his grandfather murmuring, looking at his father as if he were the most precious thing in the world. He could only imagine how much his grandfather had suffered over the years, knowing that his father was locked up in a place like Azkaban.

"Father," the voice was rough from disuse but it was lined with a hidden strength that made Theo feel somewhat proud. In that moment he could see that Azkaban hadn't broken his father. It may have weakened him, but it had far from broken him, and that showed his father's strength more than anything.

His grandfather sighed and took a seat beside the bed.

"How long?" his father asked.

"Fourteen years," his grandfather replied.

He heard his father take an unsteady breath.

"Merlin," the raspy whisper held so much pain that Theo almost flinched, "Theo?"

"Theo..." a small smile appeared on his grandfather's lips, "Theo has become a young man to be proud of," his grandfather turned towards him, "Come meet your father, Theo."

Theo tried to move but as soon as his father's gaze landed on him he froze. There was so much longing in his eyes that it took Theo's breath away. What must it have been like for his father knowing that he had a son that was growing up and that he wasn't able to be there? Did his father regret that he hadn't bought his way out of Azkaban like so many other Death Eaters? Part of Theo hoped he did, but a bigger part of him was proud that his father had shown such loyalty to Lord Voldemort. It was the same kind of loyalty he had towards his own Lord.

"Theo?" there was a trace of awe in his father's voice, "You look so much like me."

Theo couldn't quite contain the smile that blossomed on his lips and walked towards the bed.

"I've been told," he stated, conjuring a seat beside his grandfather and missing the wide-eyed look he got from his father, "Though, if I may say so, I believe I am much more handsome."

He was delighted when that earned him a raspy laugh from his father.

"I'll have to agree with you," his father smiled at him and Theo felt all the tension he had been feeling in the last few hours melt away, "I was away for fourteen years, so you'll be in your fourth year at Hogwarts, right? Which house?"

"Entering my fifth, actually," Theo grinned, "And I'm in Slytherin."

"That's my boy," Tadeus smirked proudly.

"He's also part of the Court." Teodred added slyly and Theo almost groaned when he saw his father's eyes widen.

"There's a Court?" came the hushed whisper and Theo glared at his grandfather.

"Yes, there is," he replied. He may not be happy with his grandfather blurting it out like that, but he was proud of the Court and he would never deny it's existence, "There's been a Court since my first year. It was established in my first year."

"When were you recruited? The King must be awfully young for there to still be a Court if it came together in your first year."

Teodred actually snorted making his son stare at him in slight disbelief and earning another glare from his grandson.

"I was recruited in first year, and the King is in my year."

"Well, this proves it," Tadeus muttered after a couple of seconds of silence, "I must be having a Dementor induced hallucination."

"I thought the same thing, minus the dementor bit, when I learned about the Court," Teodred said when he saw his grandson bristle in indignation. The last thing he wanted was for Theo to slip into Ouroboros mode.

"So it's true?" Tadeus asked his father, "There's a King that young?" seeing his father nod he turned towards his son and he startled at the look in his son's eyes.

He had seen that look before, on himself and many of his fellow Death Eaters. He had never thought the he would see it on his son's face, especially directed at him. A look that promised death to those that dared say anything against his Lord. He glanced at his father and caught the miniscule nod that he gave him, confirming that he wasn't seeing things, that he wasn't imaging that look.

"Could you tell me who the King is? And who's part of the Court?" he made sure that there was nothing but honest curiosity in his tone, not wanting to aggravate his son any further.

"Our court is a bit different," Theo replied, a small fond smile spreading on his lips, "We don't only have Slytherin members. From Slytherin there's myself, Draco Malfoy, Blaise Zabini, Adrian Pucey, Graham Montague, and Marcus Jugson. Though Marcos already finished his schooling and is now working in the Ministry for our Lord. In Ravenclaw we have Luna Lovegood and a slave," Tadeus shivered when he saw the truly malicious smile that lit up Theo's face, "In Hufflepuff we have Cedric Diggory, and Wayne Hopkins. In Gryffindor we have Fred Weasley, George Weasley, and Neville Longbottom. In Beuxbatons we have Fleur Delacour, though she finished her seventh year as well. And in Durmstrang we have Viktor Krum who also finished his seventh year. And our King, our King is Harry Potter."

"That's... that's not quite what I was expecting," Tadeus replied after a moment, making Theo laugh.

"That's what so great about it," his smirk was nothing short of devious, "No one was expecting it. No one was expecting him."

"You can say that again." his grandfather murmured and Theo threw him a smirk, "Theo, would you mind going to the infirmary and get a healer? I want to know if your father is stable enough to take him home."

Theo threw a look at his grandfather that clearly told him that he knew that he was just trying to get him out of the room, but even so he nodded and left, leaving the two older Notts alone.

"Things changed while I was away," Tadeus remarked, as soon as the door closed behind his son.

"You have no idea, my son," Teodred told him, "Theodore was there during the raid in Azkaban."

"What?" Tadeus whispered, "What was our Lord thinking? Taking children on a raid? To Azkaban no less?"

Teodred sighed.

"It really wasn't our Lord's choice," he replied, "Things are different, Tadeus. Theodore isn't a Death Eater, he will never be a Death Eater. He follows someone else."

"Someone else?" Tadeus frowned, "I don't understand."

"There's another Dark Lord. He's allied with our Lord. Theo's one of his followers."

"He recruits children?" Tadeus snarled, more worried about that fact than about some new, unknown Dark Lord.

"I wouldn't call it recruiting." Teodred murmured, "They flock to him. They are enchanted with him, completely under his thrall. Don't make the mistake of thinking of Theo as a child, Tadeus. I saw them fighting. Their viciousness would put many Death Eaters to shame and their loyalty and dedication is something to be envious of."

"Who is it? How did he do it?"

"It's-"

Tadeus stared at his father with wide eyes when he saw him thrash on the chair as if he were being put under the Cruciatus, the suddenness of it making it impossible for him to stifle an agonized cry. It lasted only a couple of seconds and it left his father panting and looking wide eyed. For a few moments there was nothing in the room but the sound of heavy breathing. Then almost hysterical laughter broke the silence ad Tadeus could do nothing but stare while his father laughed.

Teodred straighten on his chair and a small smirk spread on his lips.

"Devious little Dark Lord," he muttered, "No wonder our Lord is so enchanted with him..."

"Father?" Tadeus' tentative question made him focus on his son again.

"I'm fine," he assured, smiling, "It was only a secrecy ward."

"Secrecy ward?" Tadeus snorted, "That's the first time I've seen a secrecy ward make someone cry out in agony."

"Well, he's a Dark Lord, what else did you expect?" Teodred chuckled lightly, "I guess that it's a warning, I could see that it was nowhere near as painful as it could be. Apparently we cannot talk about it. Though I talked with Theo about him just yesterday... maybe we can't say anything to those that don't already know who it is?" Teodred wondered, marveling at Lord Thanatos ingenuity, "I suppose you'll have to wait to know more about him."

"I hope you realize, father, that this doesn't reassure me in the least."

"I'm sorry, Tadeus, truly. If I could I would tell you everything I know. If it makes you feel any better though know that Theo is happy. Truly happy. He has a family in them. They are loyal not only to Lord Thanatos but to each other as well. They are family."

"Alright, father, I'll trust your word," Tadeus leaned back against his pillows, feeling far weaker than he would have liked, "But I want to be there at the next meeting. I want to know just who captured my son so."

"I'm sure our Lord will call you, though I must warn you, Tadeus, be careful not to fall under his thrall as well."

"I'm loyal to our Lord!" Tadeus exclaimed indignantly.

"I am not saying you are not. Lucius is as well, and that doesn't change the fact that he is completely enthralled with Lord Thanatos, even if he hides it well. Though I think no one is as captivated as our Lord."

Tadeus stared in disbelief at his father, not quite able to accept what he was telling him but knowing that his father would never make something like that up.

"I'm becoming more and more curious about this Dark Lord Thanatos."

"You'll meet him soon enough, my son."

"I haven't heard a sigh as deep as that since I was studying for my NEWTS," Bill remarked, taking a seat on an armchair beside Harry.

He chuckled when Harry glared at him.

"You would sigh too if you had a fan-girl living in the same house as you," Harry grumbled, "I'm sorry to tell you this, but your sister creeps me out."

Bill outright laughed at Harry's mulish look.

"Honestly it doesn't really surprise me that she has a crush on you," Bill smirked, "Our mum told her stories about you since she was a small child. Ginny's been dreaming about being Mrs. Harry Potter since she was five."

"Oh Merlin," Harry groaned, "Don't tell me that she still thinks that?"

Bill's smirk was answer enough and Harry closed his eyes in exasperation.

"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint her but I don't really swing that way," Harry told Bill, after a couple of seconds lamenting his luck.

"Oh?" Bill threw him a lascivious smirk, "Maybe I'll be the Weasley seducing the innocent, little Slytherin."

Harry laughed and smirked right back.

"Do you think you could keep up with a Slytherin?"

"Oh, will you look at that? Who would have thought that you were such a feisty, little snake," Bill grinned, looking quite pleased.

"I'm a Slytherin, what did you expect?" Harry looked at him innocently and Bill laughed.

"True, I should have known that behind those innocent looks was a devious mind," Bill smiled.

"I'm unsure if I should take that as a compliment or not," Harry grinned, he could see why the twins enjoyed their time with their older brother.

"I don't think anyone would be able to do anything else but compliment you," Bill replied smoothly, making Harry raise an eyebrow at him.

"Have you met your younger brother?"

"Well... Ron's never been the brightest lumos," Bill deadpanned and Harry laughed, "So, what is that book about? I can't make out the title," Bill asked and Harry could see nothing but genuine curiosity in his expression.

"It's an old book about runes and how blood can make some combinations more effective. It was banned because the Ministry considered it Dark Magic," Harry replied honestly, curious to see how Bill would react.

Bill glanced at the innocent looking book.

"Just owning such a book gets you time in Azkaban," Bill murmured, his eyes flickering from the book to Harry.

"True," Harry nodded, "Don't you think that that is one of the most stupid things ever? Banning knowledge simple because they are afraid," Harry shook his head, "It disgusts me that people like that are our leaders. They are killing magic, and you know what's worse? We are letting them."

"They are trying to protect the people," Bill argued, but there was no fire behind the words. It was as if he was simple saying what was expected of him and Harry felt a surge of satisfaction race through him. Apparently the twins were right. Bill was different from the other Weasleys.

"Do you truly think so?" Harry asked him, a small knowing smile on his lips, "They care nothing for the people. They just don't want us to have more power. Think about it, how would they control us if we knew more? If we had access to magic that could bring down Azkaban for instance? It's all a matter of control. Those who have it, and those who don't."

"And we don't?" Bill asked.

"And we don't," Harry agreed.

"But you want it," Bill stated, looking him over.

"Who doesn't want to be in control? At the very least to have control about what we can learn, is that to much to ask for?" Harry got up from his seat and let the book drop on Bill's lap, "Have a look, then tell me that I'm wrong. After you've read it tell me what's so evil about that book that it deserves to be banished and just owning it should give the owner time in Azkaban. Read it and then tell me," then Harry left, leaving Bill looking at the book on his lap.

Harry couldn't quite contain the smirk that appeared on his lips once he was out of the library. Things with Bill were going really well. He couldn't have planed it better if he had tried, the book he had been reading was just the right one to get Bill to see things their way. There wasn't anything harmful in it, being mostly related to healing, wards, and protection. But Bill had been right, just owning that book was a one way ticket to Azkaban, hopefully it will be enough to show Bill that things weren't as the Ministry painted them.

As soon as he reached his room he put some wards and silencing spells up, knowing that with Order members in the house it was better to be safe than sorry.

Once he was satisfied with the protections in his room he called for his Ouroboros and sat on his bed.

One by one they popped in, their uniforms on and their blank masks reflecting the light of the candles in his room.

"Welcome Ouroboros," he smiled at them, "You may remove your masks," they touched their masks and they dissolved as if they had never been there and Harry smiled when he saw all of his Ouroboros, Remus and Sirius included.

Not a moment later all the Ouroboros were sprawled around his room, knowing that once the masks came off they were allowed to behave as they always did with Harry. Remus and Sirius may not have known but they were taking their cue from the others.

"I'm glad to see that you are all well," Harry smiled and snuggled closer to Theo who was lying next to him on the bed, "I saw that you were hit by a few spells."

"It was nothing," Draco assured him, "Our uniforms took most of it. I was only slightly bruised."

"Yes and I only had a hairline fracture, a bit of skellgrow took care of it," Fleur told him.

"I'm glad. How are things going with your father, Theo? Have you seen him yet?" Harry asked him, slightly worried about his friend. He knew that Theo had been rather nervous about meeting his father. He truly hoped that Azkaban hadn't damaged the man too much.

"Yeah," Theo smiled, "I saw him this morning and he's already home. He's a bit battered but he's going to be alright. He knows I'm part of the Court. My grandfather also talked with him alone, so he may know that I'll never be a Death Eater."

"How do you think he took that?" Draco asked him, "My dad went to talk to me after the raid. He said he was proud of me, but he looked... I don't know, kinda sad, I think."

"You're growing up," Remus replied, looking at them fondly, "Your parents are proud of you, but sad to realize that they have to let you go. It's something all parents go through when their children reach their teenage years."

"It is true," Viktor nodded, "I remember my father, usually rather stoic, with tears in his eyes when I started my last year at Durmstrang."

"And mine was always smiling when he saw me when I graduated Hogwarts. He was strutting around like a proud peacock," Marcus shook his head, though there was a fond smile on his lips.

"Exactly," Sirius nodded, "Just as Remus and I looked at Harry full of pride when he told us he had become a Dark Lord at the age of fourteen," Sirius informed them making Harry snort.

"I would call it looking at me completely flabbergast, but sure, let's call it look of pride," he smirked at them.

"You can't really blame us, cub," Remus told him, "It's not everyday you realize your ward is a Dark Lord. Don't tell me you lot weren't surprised."

"We knew what he would become," Fred grinned.

"We hoped, we didn't know," Cedric corrected.

"Yes," Luna agreed, "We hoped."

"Why did you hope for that?" Sirius asked them, "I always found the way you treated him... well, I always thought you treated him like a Lord, like your Lord, but how did it come to that? Why did you hope that he would become a Dark Lord?"

"Well, I can't speak for the others, but for me it was the magic," Blaise murmured, "I always felt connected to his magic, I always felt better when he was with me. I could feel the magic humming in my blood when his magic touched me. I wanted to always have that."

"It was the same for me, though his beliefs were a big part of it too," Adrian mused, "He was the first person that I've meet that wasn't Black or White, Dark or Light, Good or Evil. He cared for none of those things. He only cared about magic and that was different. It was something that we could all believe, Magic is our life! Of course we want to protect it, to make sure that Magic is free. It's a worthy cause."

Several of the others murmured their agreement and Harry smiled, more pleased with them than he could probably express.

Remus and Sirius could do nothing more but stare at these teenagers that were ready to take on the world for what they believed in. When they were their age they hadn't worried about much but their next prank. It certainly put things in perspective for them. It also made them incredibly proud of Harry. They didn't know how James and Lily would have reacted to knowing that their son was a Dark Lord, but they were sure they would have been damn proud of what he was trying to achieve. Just as proud as they were to be a part of it.

"What?" Harry grumbled glaring at the smirking face in the mirror.

"Someone sounds grumpy," Tom teased, his smirk widening when he saw the glare aimed at him increase.

"Someone's going to get crucioed if he doesn't get on with it and lets me go back to sleep," Harry snarled.

Tom chuckled and Harry looked away, knowing that he wouldn't be able to stay angry at the man when he was looking at him with such fondness.

"I was calling to ask if you could come over now. We have a few things to discuss before we call a meeting," Tom told him.

Harry cast a tempus and sighed when he noticed that it was half past three am.

"Don't Dark Lords sleep?" he asked almost inaudible, making Tom chuckle.

"We learn to get by on the few hours of sleep that we do get. So, will ten minutes be enough for you to get ready?"

"Give me fifteen. I'll take a quick shower just to make sure that I'm truly awake. See you soon," Harry turned off the mirror and went to his bathroom, muttering about workaholic Dark Lords all the while.

Once he was dressed he made sure that the wards around his room were up and used the portkey that Tom had given him.

He landed in Tom's office and saw him sitting behind his desk looking over some papers.

"What are those?" he asked, taking a seat in front of the desk.

"Reports about the state of the Death Eaters that were in Azkaban," Tom murmured distractedly, "They seem to be doing better than what was expected, it seemed as if the dementors didn't feed as much from them as we had thought."

"They didn't?" Harry frowned, "Do you know why?"

"That's something I intend to ask them once we meet with them to discuss our alliance."

"Do I have to be there?"

Tom glanced up when he heard the reluctance in Harry's tone.

"I didn't know you had anything against dementors," he remarked.

"I don't, not really," Harry told him, "They just make me uncomfortable. They make me feel weak, I hate it."

Tom hummed, leaning back on his chair.

"I know what you mean," he said, "I feel them same. I don't think anyone can truly become immune to them. But I truly want you there. You're my partner, I want you to be involved in these proceedings."

"If you promise to give me a mountain of chocolate after we're done I'll go," Harry grumbled, though there was a small smile on his lips.

Tom smirked and Harry almost felt the urge to flee. Something told him that he wouldn't like what was running through that devious mind.

"I can agree with that," Tom's smirk was all sorts of dangerous, "I'll even help you with it's consumption. I can think of many different ways to make the process so much more enjoyable and make you forget all about those pesky dementors."

Harry narrowed his eyes at the smirking Dark Lord.

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean."

"Oh?" Tom raised an eyebrow and that cocky smirk made Harry want to slap him, "Maybe I should be more explicit. Maybe I should tell you how I'll melt all that delicious chocolate over your scrumptious body and lick it all off-"

"There's no need!" Harry quickly interjected, knowing that he was turning red, "When will this meeting take place?" he asked, desperately wanting to change the subject and wanting those hungry eyes to turn away from him.

"In a week or so," Tom replied, though the smirk never left his lips, "At the moment every inch of Azkaban Island is being turn over by aurors and they'll probably have a few of them there even after they've turned over very stone. We'll let things calm down before we meet with the dementors."

"Alright, that's fine with me. The Order is trying to find information on my Ouroboros, so letting them think that we aren't doing anything at the moment would be best."

"What are your Ouroboros doing?" Tom asked, leaning forward.

"Recruiting," Harry smirked, "I have five Ouroboros out of Hogwarts, two of them in the Order. They are working on bringing other people over."

"You're trying to convert Order members?" Tom looked skeptical and Harry smirked at him.

"Why, Tom, do you doubt my abilities?"

Tom actually snorted.

"I'm certain that with enough time you could even convert my Death Eaters," he admitted, "I was just lamenting the fact that if you do convert Order members that I couldn't curse the annoying flaming chickens," Harry could swear that was a pout on his lips for a fraction of a second and couldn't help but laugh.

"If I do convert them they won't be flaming chickens anymore, will they?" he asked logically, though there was a smile on his lips that betrayed his amusement, "Besides, you still have all those that I won't be able to turn to our cause. You'll still have plenty of people to curse."

"I suppose I must content myself with those," Tom sighed woefully and Harry couldn't contain his laughter.

"Is that all you wanted to discuss?" Harry asked as soon as his laughter calmed down.

"I want to call a meeting now," Tom told him, leaning back on his armchair, "I want to introduce you to my followers that were in Azkaban. Though I'll only be calling the Inner Circle."

"Alright," Harry nodded, taking out his wand. A whispered spell later and he was in uniform, only his mask missing, "Switching spells." Harry answered when he saw Tom's raised eyebrow.

"Let's go than," Tom smirked, getting up from his seat.

Harry didn't miss the way Tom's eyes roved over his body while they were walking towards the meeting room and had stop himself from reacting.

Truthfully the kiss that Tom had given him was still on the forefront of his mind. No matter how hard he tried to forget it, he just couldn't. He could still feel those lips on him, could still taste them. He would be lying if he said he didn't want to have a taste of them again.

"Harry."

Tom's voice brought him out of his thoughts. He turned around only to find the man sitting on his throne and looking at him curiously.

He looked so regal, so sinfully perfect that he couldn't stop himself. Honestly he didn't even know if he wanted to.

Tom froze on his seat when Harry turned towards him and a predatory expression crossed his features.

He didn't move when Harry gripped the armrests of his throne and straddled his lap.

Nor did he move when Harry nuzzled his neck.

"I hope you're proud," he shuddered when Harry's lips moved against the sensitive skin of his neck, "You made it so that I can't think about anything else but your lips, your kiss."

When Harry nipped at his neck his hands flew to those slim hips.

"Harry," he growled, knowing that his control was on the verge of snapping.

He wanted to say that he had been expecting it, but the truth was that when Harry crashed their mouths together that he was completely caught of guard.

He couldn't help but groan when he felt those perfect lips against his own again. He wasted no time in exploring that sweet mouth. Merlin, how he had longed for this.

His grip on Harry's hips tightened and he pulled the body above him against his own. He smirk against Harry's lips when he pulled a moan from his little serpent.

"Shut up," Harry grumbled pulling away slightly, though never really separating his lips from Tom's.

Tom chuckled, happiness shinning in his eyes.

"Alright," he nibbled on Harry's lips, enjoying the shiver that it caused Harry, "I can certainly think of other things we could be doing," he thrust his hips against Harry's smirking at the delicious moan that he got from him.

He captured Harry's lips again, delighted when his little one immediately responded. Harry's hands flew to his hair, pulling his mouth away. He didn't let that stop him, he went straight to Harry's neck, enjoying the delicious moans it caused.

"We have a meeting," Harry said breathlessly, his hips rolling against Tom's groin, making Tom bite down on his neck. Harry groaned and Tom quickly soothed the pain it caused by gently licking the spot.

"Forget the meeting," Tom mumbled against the silky skin, he thrust his hips crashing their erections together. Harry threw his head back, gasping as pleasure flooded his body.

"We can't, Tom, not now," Harry told him, though he didn't even try to move from his place on Tom's lap.

Tom froze when Harry's words penetrated his lust fogged mind.

"Not now?" he asked, pulling away from Harry, "Does that mean that you stopped running?"

Harry forced himself to focus; he could hear the seriousness, the urgency, in Tom's voice.

"I'm not sure if it's the right decision," Harry admitted, "But I can't deny that I am attracted to you. But make no mistake, Tom, I won't be some toy for you to use and abuse, do you understand?"

"I would never do that to you," Tom told him and Harry could see the honesty in his eyes.

"Good, otherwise there would be one less Dark Lord walking this earth," Harry said sweetly.

Tom laughed and brought Harry close for a voracious kiss.

"Only you would be able to threaten me and walk away," Tom remarked, when they came up for air.

Harry smirked, slipping down from Tom's lap, rubbing against Tom's erection and earning a small muffled moan from the older Dark Lord.

"I'm special like that. Now let's call our followers."

Tom smirked, and motioned to the throne next to his. Harry took his seat and sent the call to his Ouroboros, knowing that Tom was doing the same. With an almost negligent wave of his hand a blank mask covered his features, "What?" he asked when he saw Tom frowning slightly.

"I don't like not being able to see your expressions," Tom confessed.

"It won't be for long," Harry told him, "I'll vanish it as soon as you introduce me to those that were in Azkaban."

"They'll be here soon," Tom murmured, feeling his followers answering his call.

Moments later pops started to be heard and Death Eaters appeared in the meeting room, while the Ouroboros melted from the shadows, forming a line in front of Harry.

Harry noticed that all the Death Eaters had their masks off and he couldn't help but wonder if they did that because it was an Inner Circle meeting. He could see several people that he hadn't seen before, knowing that those must have been the ones that were in Azkaban. He grimaced when he saw that Snape was present. He understood why Tom called him but it didn't mean that he liked it.

When all their followers were present Tom stood and he followed him.

"My friends," Tom smiled at his Death Eaters, "It gladdens me to see all of you amongst us again," he stopped while the Death Eaters cheered, "Your loyalty, your dedication is something that I will never forget. Your sacrifices over the last decade will be rewarded."

The Death Eaters stood straighter, and Harry could see the pride practically dripping from them. Harry couldn't help but wonder if he would have been one of those proud Death Eaters if he hadn't become a Dark Lord. Would he have been able to submit to Tom so completely? Would he have been able to follow Tom as blindly as his Death Eaters did?

Knowing his personality he doubted that he would have been able to do it. He knew that he was far too independent to be able to be a follower. However he could see why the Death Eaters were so loyal to Tom, how they became so enchanted with him.

"Over this long years the Light thought us defeated. We had to cower away in our homes, hiding our magic, our birthright. Now we will prove the Light wrong. Not only are we not defeated, we gained an invaluable alley," taking that as his cue, Harry took one step forward, "Lord Thanatos and his followers, the Ouroboros!"

Harry stood proudly beside Tom, looking the Death Eaters over. He could clearly see the surprise in some of their expression. Though there were a few that were looking at him with open curiosity. If he weren't mistaken three of them were the Lestranges and the other one, considering that he looked like an older Theo, could only be Tadeus Nott.

"Hello, Death Eaters. As Voldemort said, I'm Lord Thanatos. However since you are the most loyal of his followers you will learn my true identity," his mask started to dissolve and he smirked when all of the recently arrived Death Eaters gasped, "I am Harry Potter."

"Harry Potter?" he heard one of the Lestrange brothers, Rabastan if he wasn't mistaken, mutter.

"Yes," Tom nodded, "Harry Potter. The Light's greatest hope, is our biggest ally. An ally that will aid us in our fight against the Light. In our struggle to make all magic equal."

"We will stand united against the Light and show them the true strength of the Dark," Harry added.

"When the time comes we will shatter the Light with this revelation. We will show them that even their icon for everything that is Light stands with us, not as a follower but as another Dark Lord. Another wizard who fights for Magic to reign free," Tom continued.

"They will despair knowing that their only hope for salvation was never one of them. That I and countless others were never one of them. My Ouroboros will lay in wait, they will move amongst them, they will be their friends, their family. No one will know their identity. The Light will never see them coming," Harry smirked.

"Their hope will be lost," Tom's glee was hard to hide.

"Magic will be free!" Harry exclaimed passionately.

"Darkness will rise!" Tom proclaimed.

The Death Eaters cheered with the Ouroboros joining them not a moment later and both Dark Lords shared a triumphant smirk.

A.N.: Hello all :) Here's the new chapter. I hope you all enjoy it.

So there were a couple of people who wondered why Dumbledore isn't doing anything against Harry; the answer to that is really simple, he has no idea that he has to do anything at all against Harry. I know that things seem to be easy for Harry. And that's because they are easy for him. He has no opposition. He doesn't have opposition because no one knows they should be opposing him. Once Dumbledore finds out that Harry is Thanatos he will act, he will oppose him. The Order won't be a bunch of weak wizards that don't know how to cast a Lumos. They'll be trained fighters, fighting for what they believe in. At the moment the aurors seem weak because they were caught unaware. They had over a decade of peace, they weren't prepared for what happened. Though once the Ministry gets their heads out of their asses and put the veteran aurors in control of the squads things will change. It won't be an easy takeover, nor will it bloodless.

I truly don't mind when you ask me questions or when you share your opinions of my story, I welcome it actually, but please, don't say that Harry doesn't have this or that. You have to give me time to actually reach that part of the story. I'm sorry if I sound somewhat harsh, that's truly not my intention, but I've already answered this about a half a dozen times. So, please, let the story get there, ok?

On another note, I have a poll up in my profile: I'm writing a few more stories, I just don't have them up yet. The poll is for you to decide which three you want me to upload next. It won't change the update speed for the stories that are already up, since even if the new ones aren't uploaded I am still working on them so it won't take any time away from the ones that are already up. So, I would really appreciate if you would vote. The three with the most votes will be up in around a month.

I am also participating in the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition, it's a lot of fun :) Go show my little one-shots a bit of love :D *shamelessly begging for you to go support us XD, Go WASPS!*