Chapter XXII

The Ministry of Magic was empty as Voldemort and his Prince walked through the atrium, their Death Eaters following them. The only sound in the Atrium was the steady rush of water from the golden fountain, where jets from the wands of the witch and wizard, the point of the centaur's arrow, the tip of the goblin's hat, and the house-elf's ears continued to gush into the surrounding pool. They walked down the hall pass a security desk where the Dark Prince's wand has been weighted on his first visit. Voldemort instructed his followers to enter the lift while he and the Dark Prince stayed behind.

"What are we going to do, my Lord?" The Dark Prince asked, looking up to his lover.

"We are going to search for the prophecy," Voldemort hissed. "Let our followers blunder about."

He waved a hand and crows appeared. They followed the crows into the familiarity of darkness and reappeared in a corridor with nothing but torches and a black door. "The Department of Mysteries," Voldemort said to the Dark Prince. The two walked to the black door and it swung open. It led to a large, circular room. Everything in here was black including the floor and ceiling—identical, unmarked, handle-less black doors were set at intervals all around the black walls, interspersed with branches of candles whose flames burned blue, their cool, shimmering light reflecting in the shining marble floor so that it looked as though there was dark water underfoot.

The Prince frowned as he looked from door to door and turned to Voldemort. Voldemort took out his wand. The Dark Prince watched as Voldemort walked slowly around the room, dragging his wand against the black walls and doors, muttering softly to himself. The Dark Prince could see nothing visible, but rather felt a heavy veil falling over him as magic flared from the Dark Lord. The room seemed to warp, seemed to stutter as if it was sitting on a cog that failed to turn. Voldemort made a full rotation of the room then moved to the middle of the room. The Dark Prince heard footsteps and turned to see their Death Eaters silently entering the circular room, crowding at the empty room.

Voldemort did not regard them. He raised his wand at a door and began muttering under his breath. The Dark Prince once again felt the room warping and stuttering, the door behind him forcibly closing. The Prince thought that the room was actively fighting against Voldemort, the walls stuttering violently, wanting to spin uncontrollably. Voldemort kept his arm stiff, the wand pointing at a door until, with an explosion like a cannon shot, the door was blown open and the wall stopped spinning. The Dark Prince took a step forward to see beautiful, dancing, diamond-sparkling lights. As the Prince's eyes became more accustomed to the brilliant glare he saw clocks gleaming from every surface, large and small, grandfather and carriage, hanging in spaces between the bookcases or standing on desks ranging the length of the room, so that a busy, relentless ticking filled the place like thousands of minuscule, marching footsteps. The source of the dancing, diamond-bright light was a towering crystal bell jar that stood at the far end of the room.

"Enter, make sure the room is clear," Voldemort commanded. The Death Eaters all filtered around the Dark Prince and Voldemort, going through the opened door and into the dazzling room. Voldemort and the Prince waited a few moments in the small room before Voldemort led the way into the dazzling room.

The Prince could not see any Death Eaters, but somehow felt like he and Voldemort were going the right way. The two walked down the narrow space between the lines of the desks, heading for the source of the light, the crystal bell jar quite as tall as he was that stood on a desk and appeared to be full of a billowing, glittering wind. They walked past it, ignoring the jar and its contents, which was a tiny, jewel-bright egg, and through the door behind it.

The room was high as a church and full of nothing but towering shelves covered in small, dusty glass orbs. They glimmered dully in the light issuing from more candle brackets set at intervals along the shelves. Like those in the circular room behind them, their flames were burning blue. The room was very cold. Voldemort and the Dark Prince moved down the rows, each of them numbered. "How will we know which one to look for?" the Prince asked as behind them the Death Eaters slowly followed.

"Who knows. We shall let our followers do the grunt work," Voldemort whispered to his Prince. He turn glanced back to see the Death Eaters waiting for instructions. "Search out my orb. It will have mine and Potter's name on it."

The Death Eaters all nodded silently, fanning throughout the room for the prophecy. The Dark Prince couldn't help but frown as he looked around. "I would have thought that Dumbledore or the Order would be here by now," he said.

"Patience, my love, they will be here soon. There is no way our presence will not go unnoticed… in the meantime, I have a question and would like to see your reasoning," Voldemort said.

"What is it, my Lord?" The Dark Prince asked.

Voldemort smirked and gestured his hand lazily towards the air. "Fudge is dead, and the seat for Minister of Magic is currently empty. Who shall we have fill it? They must naturally either be moldable to our values or in a position to be controlled easily. I currently have two in mind. Rufus Scrimgeour, the current Head of the Auror Office and a reasonable choice to follow Fudge but heavily against our ideals… or Pius Thicknesse. A lesser worker in the Auror Office who is… weak-minded."

"Scrimgeour," the Dark Prince said immediately. "If he seems the next logical choice, we should pick him. Though I guess that means we'll have to keep some of the Death Eaters around for a little while… for a few years."

Voldemort chuckled. "Don't worry my love, you've promised to kill all of them, and I am more than happy to give you your murderous wants."

"Leave Parkinson," The Dark Prince said. "He already works in the Ministry, and was friends with Mr. Malfoy… He will have the task of performing the Imperius on Scrimgeour… think of it like a chance to redeem himself. He'll do it, but if he doesn't tell him that we will force his daughter into marriage."

"With whom?"

"I don't know… who does she hate the most?" The Dark Prince couldn't help but smile humorously.

"You, Harry Potter, but there is no way she will wed you," Voldemort said.

"I'll think of someone," the Dark Prince shrugged. "Did you hear Theo's dating Neville?"

"He is?"

"Yeah, caught them snogging before the D.A. today," The Dark Prince said.

"Hmm…"

"My Lord!" A Death Eater ran up to them. Harry immediately recognized him as Rockwood. "We've found it."

"Lead," Voldemort commanded. Rockwood bowed and led Voldemort and the Prince down the rows of dusty orbs, The Dark Prince noticing that the numbers etched on the rows were quickly climbing. They stopped at row ninety-four and Rockwood pointed to one of the small glass spheres that glowed with a dull inner light, though it was very dusty and appeared not to have been touched for many years.

There was a yellow label underneath the ball. In spidery writing was written a date of some sixteen years previously, and below that:

S.P.T. to A.P.W.B.D.

Dark Lord

And (?) Harry Potter

"A.P.W.B.D.? Is that Dumbledore?" The Dark Prince asked, looking to his Lord.

Voldemort nodded and reached forward to the orb and gently lifted it off of the shelf. "This is the prophecy," Voldemort hissed to his Prince. "Interesting… so this is the reason why the husk has visited your home so many years ago…"

"How do we listen to it?"

Voldemort turned to Rockwood. "Leave. This is only for myself and my heir," he commanded. The Death Eater nodded and left the two alone, gone back to patrolling the room. Voldemort turned to the Dark Prince and smirked. He touched his wand to the orb and Professor Trelawney's hoarse voice seemingly came out of the orb.

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies..."

The Dark Prince frowned at the orb. He looked hesitantly to Voldemort, biting his lip nervously. "Tom…"

"This was it?" Voldemort chuckled. "This is what Dumbledore was trying so hard to protect? Pathetic." He moved his hand that was holding the prophecy slightly and the Dark Prince watched as it slipped from Voldemort's hand and fell, smashing onto the floor.

"What did you do that for?" The Dark Prince gasped.

"It is useless, the husk is dead," Voldemort said. "The Dark Lord that his prophecy refers to… is no longer a threat, and both of us are not going to kill each other, far from it. When this is done, I'm going to fuck you into submission until you are filled with my seed and every pore of your body is leaking my essence."

"T-Tom—" the Dark Prince mewled.

Voldemort smirked at the Dark Prince's reaction.

BANG.

A loud exploding sound rumbled the entire floor. The sounds of fighting reached the Dark Lord's and Dark Prince's ears. Voldemort smirked as he looked down at his Prince. "It seems Dumbledore and his Order have arrived. Shall we?"

The room continued to rumble as the screams slowly became louder and louder. Voldemort made the Dark Prince walk towards the fight, even though the Prince's legs screamed for them to run, to join the fray and make sure that everyone they loved and care about are safe. In the distance the Dark Prince could see figures fighting. He couldn't make out the Death Eaters, they all were wearing the same robes and mask, but he could easily recognize Tonks' bubble-gum pink hair as well as the disfigured figure of Mad-Eye Moody. Lupin and Sirius were there, fighting their hardest against Nott and Dolohov, whose masks were knocked off. The Prince found his feet moving faster, ignoring Voldemort's commands as he watched Sirius fight.

Sirius whipped his wand and Nott fell to the ground. Dolohov dodged a stunner sent from Lupin and aimed his wand at Sirius. "Avada—"

"EXPELLIARMUS!"

The Prince's spell rushed towards Dolohov and his wand soar into the air towards the entrance of the hall of prophecy. "DON'T KILL THEM YOU IDIOT!" The Dark Prince yelled out, causing Sirius and Lupin to look at him.

"It's the Dark Prince!" Sirius yelled out. "Don't harm the boy!"

The Dark Prince looked around but did not see Dumbledore anywhere. Where is he? He thought to himself as he watched the battle unfold in front of him. It was like a firework spectacular; flashes of spells going off one after another. Nobody seemed to be giving The Dark Prince any thought or looks as he watched the battle in front of him transfixed. Dolohov has found his wand and joined Nott again as they dueled Lupin and Sirius; Mad-Eye Moody was fighting two at once while Tonks fired spells off at any Death Eaters she could see. The Dark Prince turned to Voldemort, "Dumbledore isn't here!"

"He has to be in the Ministry, leave them and follow me," Voldemort commanded before sweeping pass the fighters in a column of black smoke.

The Dark Prince frowned. He couldn't leave Sirius, he didn't want to leave his godfather's fate unknown. He had to be certain that Sirius would live—that he would make it out of here. Getting an idea the Dark Prince pointed his wand at one of the shelves. "Bombarda!" he yelled. The spell hit the shelf next to him with full force. It shattered into pieces and flew into the nearby shelves. Blue orbs fell from up high, smashing into blue mist on the ground as shelf after shelf began to be destroyed. The fighting stopped for a second to see the wave of prophecies falling from the sky. The Order all looked stunned for a second too long as the Death Eaters began to run away, their wand still trained on Sirius, Lupin, Tonks, and Mad-Eye, firing spells. "No!" The Dark Prince screamed, waving his wand frantically as he ran, forcibly pushing Sirius out of the way of a get of white light. "Run you idiot!"

The Order seemed to snap out of their daze at that moment and began to run. The Dark Prince ran ahead of them and he could hear Moody shouting to the others to get him. The Prince shot spells over his shoulder, not bothering to aim properly. All he had to do was get away from them, separate Sirius from the Death Eaters. But the Death Eaters did not seem to want to end the fighting. Walden Macnair, the man Harry remembered who almost executed Buckbeak, turned on the spot and aimed for the Order, the Dark Prince in his line of fire, and yelled out "Avada Kedavra!"

The Dark Prince whipped his wand and orbs flew in front of him, the Killing Curse shattering them to blue dust. The Prince, enraged, pointed his wand at Macnair and yelled, "AVADA KEDAVRA!"

His Killing Curse found its mark on the shocked Death Eater who fell dead, quickly being buried by the falling shelves and prophecies. The Dark Prince continued to run. He could see the door in front of him, soon he'll be in the room with all the clocks. He could lose the Order there, separate them from the Death Eaters in there—then an arm wrapped itself around the Prince's body.

"No!" he snarled as he was forcibly lifted into the air. He looked up to see that Lupin has somehow caught up to him and lifted him up. "Let go!" he yelled. "You'll get us all killed!"

"I'm getting you somewhere safe," Lupin yelled as they ran through the doorway, which closed after Mad-Eye ran through. Lupin dropped the Dark Prince safely on the ground and held his hands out. "You're safe now… You-Know-Who isn't here, his followers aren't here… you're safe with us."

"Stupid idiots," The Dark Prince muttered to himself. He got to his feet slowly as he looked around, trying to figure out a way away from them.

"Boy's a murderer," Moody grunted. "Killed one of his own."

"Well that can't be his fault can it?" Tonks asked. Moody grunted and banged his staff to the ground; the Dark Prince's wand flew into the air away from them. "Just to be safe…"

"Who are you?" Lupin asked. "You look barely old enough to fight, where did You-Know-Who take you from?"

"You can talk to us, yeah, we're all friends here," Tonks said. "And you have nothing to worry about, Dumbledore's rounding up those Death Eaters as we speak." She gave the Dark Prince a smile, which he did not return. He just stared at the four adults in front of him, his mind working overtime.

"Yeah, we're all good pals here," Sirius said. "So why don't you take off that mask of yours so we can talk? I'm sure that Dumbledore can help you get away from You-Know-Who and his lot."

They know my voice, I can't speak to them, but I don't see how I can get away from them either, the Dark Prince thought, his eye moving frantically behind his mask.

"Hey, hey look at us, huh, you can trust us," Sirius smiled. The Dark Prince shook his head. He took a step back from them. He needed to get away. "No, no, no, you can trust us see? No wands pointing at you…"

The Dark Prince shook his head away, his eyes constantly searching for a way out.

"We can just stun the boy and bring him to headquarters," Moody grunted.

"That would just make things more difficult, Mad-Eye!" Tonks said. She turned back to the Prince and asked, "How old are you? You look very young, you know, you should be in Hogwarts, not running about with a bunch of Death Eaters."

Just shut up. Shut up and run away—you're all going to die if you stay here, Harry thought frantically in his mind. If Voldemort finds me here with you all—Kingsley's already dead, he'll do the same to you.

"Can you tell us your name, at least? Or your age?" Tonks asked. She was leaning on her knees. The Dark Prince's eyes shifted for a moment then whispered, "Fifteen," hoping that he can change his voice somehow just by pure skill alone.

"Fifteen huh? Yeah you should definitely be in Hogwarts," Tonks smiled.

The Prince's eyes started looking around towards the corners of the room, looking for any noticeable shadows. The bell jar they were standing near was giving off a brilliant diamond-bright light. There were no shadows that the Dark Prince could see, no red eyes that stared out at him. He was cut off from the crows and couldn't rely on them.

"Think Dumbledore will let him be in Hogwarts?" Tonks asked, looking at Sirius, Lupin, and Mad-Eye. Lupin shifted his eyes towards her but Sirius and Mad-Eye continued to watch the Dark Prince.

"Hopefully," Lupin said. "Though we can't say how far behind he is in his normal studies, if he is at all. For all we know You-Know-Who could have only taught him Dark Magic."

Deciding to try out an experiment, The Dark Prince whispered again. Maybe if he kept whispering, his soft tones would make it so they can't recognize him. "I know other magic… I know more than kids my age," he whispered.

"Oh? Like what?" Tonks asked.

"He made me follow Hogwarts' curriculum… along with learning Dark Arts… "The Dark Prince whispered. His eyes shifted towards the bell jar. Drifting along in the sparkling current inside was a tiny, jewel-bright egg. As it rose in the jar it cracked open and a hummingbird emerged, which was carried to the very top of the jar, but as it fell on the draft, its feathers became bedraggled and damp again, and by the time it had been borne back to the bottom of the jar it had been enclosed once more in its egg.

Tonks noticed the Dark Prince's staring and looked at the bell jar. "Weird stuff, eh? Come on, why don't you come with us and we'll talk about what you've learned. Get you away from You-Know-Who for good."

"No, can't do that," The Dark Prince whispered, his mind working overtime. Should I knock that jar over? What'll happen when I do? Should I do something else—THINK POTTER!

"Sure you can, besides at Hogwarts you'll meet folks your age, meet new people, make friends, its so much better than hanging around drafty Death Eaters, and so much safer too," Tonks said.

Wand, wand I need my wand—if only I still had my wand I could at least make something dark, the Dark Prince thought frantically. Hang on, I'm an idiot…

The Dark Prince nodded and looked at Tonks through his mask. "I won't attack… but can I have my wand at least? It's… my dad's."

"Your father's?" Tonks frowned.

The Dark Prince nodded again. "He…he killed him… then took me…"

"What's the boy saying? I can't hear him," Sirius said.

Tonks turned to look at Sirius and said, "He says he'll go with us but he wants his wand back. It's his dad, poor bloke. You-Know-Who killed him then probably kidnapped the boy."

"Well, if that's the case," Sirius said a bit more brightly. "I'll get it. Just in case, keep an eye on him."

The Dark Prince raised his hands in the air, his palms open. I'm so sorry for lying to all of you, I promise I'll make it up real soon.

Sirius walked off to retrieve the Dark Prince's wand. He came back with it a second later and said, "I'm going to slip it into your pocket. I want to see your hands out at all times, alright?"

The Dark Prince nodded and felt Sirius shove his wand in his outer pocket. The four Order members surrounded the Dark Prince and the group walked the narrow space between the desks towards the circular room. The Prince couldn't help but give a sigh of relief as he saw the coming darkness of the room, suddenly very thankful for its black marble walls and flooring. As soon as they stepped in the Prince noticed the crows. Red eyes were surrounding the group, only going as high as to their ankles. Harry nodded and watched as the crows seemed to center around a nearby area. I'm sorry! He screamed in his head as he shoved the nearest body away and ran towards the crows, feeling an empty darkness when he should have run into a wall. He kept running, not daring to look back for fears to see his friends chasing him. Please stay there, please stay there, he chanted in his mind.

The Prince looked at the crows that lined his pathway. "Bring me to Voldemort—and make sure my friends don't get hurt!" The crows all cawed in understanding and the Dark Prince suddenly appeared out of a fireplace that lined the Atrium.

"You took your time," Voldemort said. The Dark Prince smiled in relief as he looked around.

Most of the Death Eaters seemed to be gone, except for a masked one that Harry didn't know. "Lupin got me… but I ran away. They're all fine in that circular room downstairs. Where is everyone?"

"Gone. Except for this one… he shall be my body double… not that he knows it," Voldemort chuckled. "I was waiting for you to perform it. Do not worry, he has no family to look for him, and no child will go orphaned with his death."

"Okay… in that case," The Dark Prince pulled out his wand as he walked towards his Lord and the random Death Eater.

"My Lord? What are we waiting for?" the man asked, his voice slightly fearful as he looked between Voldemort and the Dark Prince. "W-We have what we needed, correct?"

"Almost…" Voldemort said. He looked to the Dark Prince and nodded.

"Avada Kedavra!" The Dark Prince said, and the skittish Death Eater fell dead.

"That was not your first kill," Voldemort said in English, looking at the body.

"No… I've killed Macnair as well," The Prince answered. "He tried to kill Sirius and the others while I was between them."

"Stupid man," Voldemort chuckled. "Now, if you can remove his mask, we'll begin."

The Dark Prince nodded and pulled off the Death Eater's mask. An unremarkable face of a man in his mid-twenties stared back, his eyes glassy. "Who is this again?" The Prince asked, looking at Voldemort, who only shrugged.

"That is not important, love," he said. "What is important is that he looks like me. So…" Voldemort moved towards the body and began to wave his wand in complex motions, muttering softly to himself. The Dark Prince watched as the unremarkable face slowly paled to a chalky white; the nose collapsing into itself until the space turned smooth, leaving only slits. Hair seemed to forcible pushed themselves back into the Death Eater's skull before the face started to lose definition, become reptilian and skeletal. His glasses eyes became an unhuman-like red. "You're taller," The Dark Prince couldn't help but comment.

Voldemort gave him an annoyed look, as the Dark Prince spoke the obvious. The body began to length, its arms and legs becoming skinner behind the robes. The Dark Prince watched as the body became the size of his Lord. He looked at the body, then back at Voldemort and frowned. "Your lips have a little definition right here," he said softly, his finger reaching up to drag along Voldemort's upper lip. "You're not completely lipless, and it's pinker…there should also be grooves along the jawline," The Prince traced them.

Voldemort added them. The Prince smiled and turned to his Lord. "Now he looks like you," he said. "Now all we have to do is kill Dumbledore… who is precisely on time."

Voldemort turned around and the Dark Prince looked with him as Dumbledore was standing in front of the golden gates.

"It was foolish to come here tonight, Tom," Dumbledore said calmly. "The Aurors are on their way—"

"By which time I shall be gone, and you dead!" Voldemort spat. He sent a Killing Curse at Dumbledore but missed, instead hitting the security guard's desk, which burst into flame.

Dumbledore flicked his own wand. The force of the spell that emanated from it was such that the Dark Prince felt his hair stand on end as it passed, and Voldemort was forced to conjure a shining silver shield out of thin air to deflect it. The spell, whatever it was, caused no visible damage to the shield, though a deep, gonglike note reverberated from it, an oddly chilling sound. …

"You do not seek to kill me Dumbledore?" Voldemort called, his scarlet eyes narrowed over the top of the shield. "Above such brutality, are you?"

"We both know that there are other ways of destroying a man, Tom," Dumbledore said calmly, continuing to walk toward Voldemort as though he had not a fear in the world, as though nothing had happened to interrupt his stroll up the hall. "Merely taking your life would not satisfy me, I admit—"

"There is nothing worse than death, Dumbledore!" Voldemort snarled.

"You are quite wrong," Dumbledore said, still closing in on Voldemort and speaking as lightly as though they were discussing the matter over drinks. "Instead your failure to understand that there are things much worse than death has always been your greatest weakness—"

Another jet of green light flew from behind the silver shield. The stone centaur from the fountain galloped in front of Dumbledore and took the blast and shattered into a hundred pieces, but before the fragments had even hit the floor, Dumbledore had drawn back his wand and waved it as though brandishing a whip. A long thin flame flew from the tip; it wrapped itself around Voldemort, shield and all. For a moment, it seemed Dumbledore had won, but then the fiery rope became a serpent, which relinquished its hold upon Voldemort at once and turned, hissing furiously to face Dumbledore. Voldemort vanished. The snake reared from the floor, ready to strike—

There was a burst of flame in midair above Dumbledore just as Voldemort reappeared, standing on the plinth in the middle of the pool, the statues all jumping away. One more jet of green light had flown at Dumbledore from Voldemort's wand and the snake had struck—

Fawkes swooped down in front of Dumbledore, opened his beak wide, and swallowed the jet of green light whole. He burst into flame and fell to the floor, small, wrinkled, and flightless. At the same moment, Dumbledore brandished his wand in one, long, fluid movement—the snake, which had been an instant from sinking its fangs into him, flew high into the air and vanished in a wisp of dark smoke; the water in the pool rose up and covered Voldemort like a cocoon of molten glass—

For a few seconds Voldemort was visible only as a dark, rippling faceless figure, shimmering and indistinct upon the plinth, clearly struggling to throw off the suffocating mass—

Then he was gone, and the water fell with a crash back into its pool, slopping wildly over the sides, drenching the polished floors.

"Are you done yet old man?" The Dark Prince sighed, causing Dumbledore to turn to him. "Honestly I thought you would be better than that Professor… instead of playing around."

"Dark Prince, you do not need to—"

The Prince's cold high laugh filled the Atrium. "I don't need to what? Continue fighting for Voldemort? Side with the Death Eaters? Voldemort is dead you daft fool, haven't you seen the body I'm standing over?" The pointed towards the body double with his own wand. "I've actually respected you sir, for a year or two… before I met my loving husband."

"Prince, what are you—"

Again the Dark Prince laughed, walking closer and closer towards Dumbledore. "Honestly how is Yaxley of all people smarter than you, sir? He figured out who I am just by a slip of a tongue… yet you've heard my voice for five years, seen my unkept hair and green eyes for five years… and still in the dark." The Prince's eyes flickered and saw Voldemort appearing behind Dumbledore, looking highly amused. "Still don't know?"

All of a sudden realization seemed to hit Dumbledore. His eyes widen drastically as a look of pure fear fell on his face. "No.. no Harry, please no," he whispered.

The Dark Prince smiled and took off his mask, giving Dumbledore an undisturbed look at his face. His eyes seemingly glowing a bright, murderous green as a sinister slasher smile grew on his face as he chuckled coldly. "Hello Professor," he said.

"Harry… Harry no what have you done?" Dumbledore said.

The Dark Prince placed his mask back on and looked at Dumbledore, still smiling sinisterly. "I've found love Dumbledore… in a very special diary."

Voldemort sent a final Killing Curse. Dumbledore did not have time to turn around as the curse killed him, the man's face still facing the Dark Prince. The Prince expected shocked or anger on Dumbledore's face as he died. But instead, Dumbledore's face stared at him with sad, regretful glassy eyes behind his half moon spectacles. Relief did not fill the Prince as he looked at Dumbledore's body.

A twinge of sadness filled him. He squashed it quickly and looked up at Voldemort. As he walked towards the Prince, he shifted, becoming more human and shrinking to the handsome teenage body of Tom Riddle.

"It is done… we've done it," Tom smiled.

"Yeah… now what though?" the Prince asked, looking at Tom. "Now we leave," Tom said. He tapped Harry's mask and turned them back into his glasses. Holding hands, they turned and left the Ministry of Magic, disappearing into darkness. Mere minutes later the Order of the Phoenix ran into the room, followed by Aurors and Ministry workers who started to walk in through fireplaces before stopping shocked in front of the two bodies of Dumbledore and Voldemort. Lupin quickly hid Sirius from the others, both men not wanting to stare at the scene. They've slipped out somehow and began a fruitless search for the Dark Prince, who, unbeknownst to them, was back safely in Hogwarts snoring loudly after an exhausting night.

.

Down two staff members and grief-stricken by Dumbledore's death, Hogwarts was in a chaotic state until Professor McGonagall stepped up. The new Headmistress of Hogwarts, she quickly rehired Professor Lupin as a temporary Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Harry was happy to have Professor Lupin back, but he knew how difficult a job he had, having to try and correct Professor Umbridge's mistakes before the end of the school year. Both Tom and Harry kept their promises after their deeds in the Ministry. After a long, enjoyable night of lovemaking, the two practically strapped Harry to a chair in the library as the Gryffindor endlessly studied for his O.W.L.s, which he felt he did a really good job at when the time came at the end of June. Talk of Dumbledore's and Voldemort's death were starting to die down, the Wizarding community quickly settling in for a time a peace. The Order of the Phoenix disbanded, all giving up in their search for the Dark Prince.

Everything was going perfect for Tom and Harry. After his graduation, Tom applied for a job at the Ministry where he could keep a close eye on Parkinson and the new Ministry of Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour. Scrimgeour's first order of business shocked Britain as he declared Sirius Black innocent, claiming to come upon missing crucial evidence. Ecstatic about the news, Sirius wore his most outrageous clothes and traveled to the Burrow, where Harry was spending the summer, to tell the good news.

Lupin did not come back to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts again, instead the job went to Professor Snape, much to Harry's hatred, as Professor McGonagall convinced the old Potions Master Horace Slughorn to come out of retirement.

For once Harry has spent an uneventful year at Hogwarts, and he enjoyed it immensely. During the summer between his sixth and final year, he and Tom spent his birthday alone in their manor at Little Hangleton. "It is time, my beautiful love," Tom whispered in Harry's ear. They were naked in their bed, Harry resting on Tom's chest as he loose hole leaked of Tom's cum. "For my final present."

They both got out of bed and Tom dressed them both in pure black robes. Tom escorted Harry down to their home's dungeon where a radiant throne was waiting for them. Harry looked around and frowned when he couldn't see his normal seat which was usually next to the throne. "Where's my chair?" he asked.

"Right in front of us, my Prince," Tom smirked. "Lord Voldemort is gone… dead to the world, but the Dark Prince is still out there, and he promised the Dark Lord something a long time ago."

The two shared a smile. Harry slipped his wand out and tapped his glasses, transfiguring them into his mask. He walked up to the throne and sat down. He placed one leg over the other and leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on the arms of the chair as he twirled his wand between his fingertips. He looked at Tom, a sinister smile growing on his face as he said, "Summon them."

Voldemort obliged and soon the room was filled with their faithful Death Eaters, all wearing masks and bowing before the Dark Prince. "We knew you haven't died, my lord," a Death Eater said.

The Dark Prince sneered at the Death Eaters. "Look at me," he commanded. The Death Eaters all jumped and turned to the Dark Prince, who looked at the men as if they were lesser than dirt. Voldemort paced around the room and sat at one side of it in a simple chair. With a wave of his hand the door was locked. The Dark Prince looked slowly around the room. "Parkinson isn't here… as well as Snape. Pity. Nott, come forward," he commanded, and Mr. Nott stepped forward.

The man was practically only skin on a skeleton now, so weak that it looked as if standing was a strain for him. "Smile Nott," The Dark Prince said. "For today you all will be rewarded for the service you have given to our Lord and me."

"T-Thank you milord," Nott stuttered, bowing gracelessly.

"You are very welcome Nott, after all, I believe it is high time that you all receive what you justly deserve for all of your actions. Now, bow down before me," The Dark Prince said.

Nott did so, his limbs shaking.

"Look at your Lord and thank him for all we have done for you," The Dark Prince commanded, his wand still twirling between his fingertips.

Nott turned a shaking head to Lord Voldemort. "T-Thank you—my Lord. F-f-For a-all that y-you ha-have d-d-d-done for us," he forced out.

"Avada Kedavra."

Nott fell dead, still staring at the Dark Lord. Voldemort looked down at the body then at the Dark Prince. The boy barely shifted, he still looked calm, composed, uncaring in his throne. He only looked at the body for only a moment before looking out to the crowd of Death Eaters. "Goyle."

Goyle Snr. did not move immediately. He stared scared at Nott's body. Then he felt as if hooks were attaching to his feet and hands. With great pain and effort, the fat man moved towards the Dark Prince. He was shaking his head viciously, his cheeks flapping in the wind. "No, no, no I-I've always b-been a loyal servant!"

"Kneel down and face your Lord," The Dark Prince commanded uncaring.

"P-Please, I have a son—"

"Who is now legally a man," The Dark Prince said. "And will be here instead of you if you do not kneel."

The Death Eaters broke out in tears. He got to his knees and looked at Lord Voldemort.

"Thank your Lord for all he has done for you," the Prince said.

Crying heavily, Goyle Snr. blabbered to Voldemort. "T-T-thank you… my L-Lord… for all… for all that…that you have done for us."

"Avada Kedavra."

Goyle's body joined Nott's on the ground, his eyes, like Nott's staring at Voldemort. The Dark Prince did not regard the bodies at all, instead looking at the remaining Death Eaters for his next victim. And so it went on. One by one the Prince had the Death Eaters come up to him and kneel, looking at Voldemort and giving him their thanks before The Dark Prince killed them. The piles of bodies grew, and with each one added to the pile the remaining Death Eaters grew more and more reluctant. Some tried to fight, but the Dark Prince was too quick, too powerful for them. At some point the Prince felt a weight on his head and figured that a crown was fitted on him as a long and heavy snake draped himself along the Prince's shoulders.

The last one to die was Rodolphus Lestrange. He walked unflinching to the Dark Prince and knelt before him without the Prince's command. Lestrange looked at Voldemort and said in an even voice, "Thank you for all you have done for us, my Lord."

"Avada Kedavra."

Silence filled the room. In the middle was a crowd of bodies piled one on top of another, all their heads turned towards the Dark Lord sitting against the wall. In the middle sat the Dark Prince on his throne, his mask long turned back to glasses, his snake draped along his shoulders and down to the arms of the chair. His robes were black and made of the finest silk, smooth and undirtied, even after dragging on the stone floor. On his head was a golden crown with emeralds fitted on the arches of the crown. His eyes shifted from the pile of bodies to the Dark Lord sitting and smiled sinisterly. Giving the bodies one last look, he stood up, the snake slithering off his body and onto the floor. "Eat up," the Prince commanded as he walked past his old followers and looked towards Voldemort.

His sinister smile turned sly as he opened the door out of the dungeon. "Get up," he laughed. "We have a wedding to prepare for."