Peace Treaty

Chapter 5

Lyra didn't find anything about the veil in the books that she read in the guest library. It was almost a week that she arrived at Slytherin Manor. She met some other death eaters who didn't sneer or scowl at her and instead greeted her politely. Rodolphus was always on her side acting as a bodyguard even when she protested that she doesn't need one. Rabastan, Rodolphus' younger brother became her another bodyguard after she met him the nest day.

Draco is coming almost daily to the manor and won't stop teasing about the Lestrange brothers being her bodyguards. Lucius also visited with Draco but he spends more time with Marvolo, he asked her to call him Marvolo. They always discuss about some laws or ministry. Remus came once to visit her when Greyback was called. She told him about the veil and he was happy that they can bring Sirius back.

Lyra was sitting in the library with her head in her hands, Draco, Rodolphus and Rabastan were sitting around her but they were also a bit gloomy. They read so many books but none of them has a solution to bring the people back from the veil. Marvolo entered the library along with Lucius and the three stood up to bow while Lyra didn't notice him.

Marvolo gestured the others to leave and sat beside her. He knew that they are searching for a way to bring Sirius back. From what Lucius said they are not able to find any way till now. Lyra must be worried about it but how to make her cheerful. He is a dark lord and never did such a thing for the people around him.

"Lyra" She looked at him startled as she didn't notice him coming inside. She looked around to see that they are alone, traitors, they left her alone with the dark lord.

"I'm sorry, I didn't see you coming." He shook his head.

"It's fine." He looked at the books on the table in front of her. "I asked a person who works in the Department of Mysteries to research about the Veil and inform me. He will get the information in a day or two. You can rest assured that your godfather will be back to living before you go back to Hogwarts."

"Really? You promise?" She looked at him hopefully.

"I do." He gave her a small smile. "i got a contract from the Goblins, our marriage contract to be specific. It was very interesting to say the least."

Lyra turned away from him. "It's not me. I didn't even know about the clauses till Remus told me yesterday." She stopped when she saw him raise his hand.

"I know who did it and why. No need to explain. I just wanted to know if you want to make a new one now or after your godfather is back?" He asked shocking her. She looked at him for sometime while he just read one of the books that she was reading a while back. "If you are done staring, darling." Making her snap out of her shock and blush.

"Can we make one after Sirius is back?" She asked him in a slow voice and he nodded.

If Lyra didn't know any better, she would say that he is not Lord Voldemort that she knew from her first year. He cares for her, he takes her opinion for everything about them, he never orders her to do something, he doesn't look down his nose if she doesn't know something, he doesn't belittle her for everything, he makes sure she eats properly, he makes sure she is happy. In just one week, he cared for her more than most of the people in her life.

Lyra didn't know if she should be happy or sad. She is happy that she got someone who will care for her and will make sure she is happy but he is doing all these only because she is his horcrux, isn't it? If she isn't his horcrux then he would've tried one more time to kill her like before. He must be taking care of her only because she is a horcrux.

'If he only wanted her for being a horcrux then he won't try to make her happy, he can just lock her up in the dungeons or in her room. He won't care about her opinion, right?' A part of her mind whispered. 'He never asked his followers or even his snake her opinion on something. He must really care for you.'

Lyra thought about that voice which sounded exactly like Sirius, 'that makes sense but he never said to her about what he feels about her, how can she know if he is doing it for her or for his horcrux', she thought to herself.

'You came here just a week back and you are expecting him to propose your wedding and tell his feelings about you?' Her mind-remus raised an eyebrow at her.

'No, I think, I'm just overthinking and maybe you are right. It's just a week and I can't know what he thinks about me. I should take it slowly and see if our marriage can be a happy one. Maybe, he doesn't like me for me now and just as his horcrux but later he may like me as Lyra and not his horcrux. I don't know myself what I feel about him.' She thought to herself.

Lyra looked at Marvolo when he shook her. He looked, is that concern in his eyes? His ruby eyes looking deeply into her emerald eyes and she want to forget everything around and stay like that.

"Are you fine?" His voice made her snap out of her thoughts again. "I called you a couple of time but you didn't respond."

"Yeah, just thinking." She said with the blush that is like a permanent thing around him.

"Care to share your thoughts?" He asked leaning onto the couch a bit and turning completely towards her giving her his whole attention.

"Um-" She had to scratch her brain to think what to say and said the first thing that came to her mind. "I was thinking about my friends."

"What about them?" He asked confused.

"They didn't object when Dumbledore said I have to marry you. I mean you are the same person who tried to kill me 5 times till now and they didn't object. I know you changed as Draco told me but they don't know about that and still didn't say anything. It's like they don't care about me. They only care about the war. They think as I'm the chosen one, I should be the one marrying you." She huffed and he looked at her in amusement.

"Ronald doesn't even like if a death eater comes to his house and he wants me to marry their lord. I'm his best friend, he doesn't care at all. All he said when I was at the Burrow was that the war is over and everyone is safe. What about me? He didn't think twice that I'm going to stay with Lord Voldemort for the rest of my life. Yes, the contract won't let you kill me or pint your wand at me but you can harm me in other ways, death is not the worst."

"Hermione said I should control my anger around you until the marriage as they don't want the marriage to be cancelled. I sometimes do something stupid when I'm angry and they are afraid because of that you will cancel the marriage, she is not all worried that you can punish me or something for it, no the only she cares is about the marriage, end of the war, they are safe. They won't care if I die unless they are not in harm."

"And don't get me started on the fangirl Ginny. I don't get it what's her problem, one moment she is happy that the war is over and the other moment she is sad that I'm going to get married. What does she think? That I'll marry her if I won't marry you? I'm straight for Merlin's sake. I don't have anything against homosexual couples but I'm not into girls."

"They won't write to me all summer and when I go there all they do is irritate me to hell. They are sorry for not writing. They are not at all sorry. I can clearly see in Hermione's eyes that she doesn't care. She only apologised to me because Dumbledore wanted her to. They are not my friends, they are my keepers on Dumbledore's orders. I hate them. I hate them so much."

Tears were streaming down her cheeks as she finished and she was screaming. Marvolo didn't know how to calm her down. He slowly moved towards her and placed a hand on her shoulder and was rewarded with an armful of sobbing teenager. He held her in his arms as she cried and rubbed circles on her back which he saw Abraxas do it to his wife when they lost their baby before Lucius. She calmed down after sometime and looked at him embarrassed.

"No need to feel bad about it, Lyra. Everyone needs to get out their frustation at one point or the other." He gave her another small smile which was only directed towards her and no one else. She smiled back and kissed his cheek as thank you without even noticing she did it and the kiss was so fast just a peck. Her eyes widened and she pulled away and left to her room making some excuse all the while he was sitting there shocked.

Marvolo touched his cheek where she kissed and smiled, one of his true smiles. Well, now he knows it is not one-sided whatever it is between them. He knows it is too soon to say that he loves her as he wanted to kill her just before a month back. He might tell himself that he only did everything to her because she is a horcrux but deep down he knows that Nagini is also a horcrux but he never did much to her except keeping her safe.

One can say that Nagini is not a human and just a snake but he have to admit that whatever he feels towards her is not because of the horcrux, he started to feel something else towards her. He doesn't like it when she is too close to Rodolphus, Rabastan, Lucius or Draco even when he knows that they all treat her as their dark lady and not some random girl.