The Dark Lord's Pet Princess

69. Too Close To Home

Once back at Voldemort's side, Larissa learned exactly what had happened on the Ministry mission.
Rufus Scrimgeour had been tortured for information on Harry, but had refused to tell Voldemort anything. The Minister had then been killed and replaced with Pius Thicknesse.
The death eaters had attacked the Burrow, but Harry had gotten away, which Larissa already knew.
But what she was unaware of, was that before arriving in Grimmauld Place, Harry bumped into several death eaters, in Tottenham Court Road, and they had failed to apprehend him.
This was when Voldemort revealed to Larissa that he placed a taboo around his name. Anyone that spoke it would give up their location, unless they were in a very secure building like the Malfoy manor, or Grimmauld Place.

Something Larissa was not happy about, was that Andromeda and Ted had also been tortured for information on Harry, since he had gone there first, before arriving at the Burrow.
The very next morning Larissa headed to her cousin's house, to make sure that she was alright.
When Andromeda opened the door, Larissa threw her arms around her.
"Thank Merlin you're O.K. I've been so worried about you" admitted Larissa.
Andromeda extracted herself from Larissa's hug, and the pair went inside where Ted and Nymphadora were waiting.
"We're all fine" reassured Andromeda, as they sat down opposite each other.

"I wanted to come here the moment I found out that you'd been tortured, but it was very late, and I wasn't sure you'd want me barging in at night. Which is why I came this morning instead" informed Larissa.
"We could have done with you last night, protecting us from the death eaters who forced their way into our home" said Ted coldy.
"You know full well that I can't reveal to anyone that I'm a spy for the Order. So I couldn't have protected you last night, even if I'd known you were in danger" admitted Larissa.
"So, if you had known what was happening to us, you would just have sat back and done nothing?" Frowned Andromeda.
"I- I don't know. I don't think I could have watched anyone hurt you" replied Larissa.

"But if you did know we were being tortured, you could have just sat at home, without a care in the world?" Questioned Andromeda.
"I don't think I could have done that either, if I'm being honest... But it's not as simple as you think. The Order relies on me and the information I provide. Without me, they really would be lost. So no one can find out that I'm a spy. Dumbledore also left me a task to do, and I need to be close to my master, to complete this task" admitted Larissa.
It was strange for her to not use Voldemort's name, but since she was not in a secure location, she knew that she couldn't call him Voldemort.

"So, this task, and your allegiance to the Order, is more important than your own cousin?" Quizzed Andromeda.
"Of course not. But if I'm being honest, I don't think you are in any real danger. The death eaters don't want to spill too much pure blood, so I don't think they will kill you" replied Larissa.
"So I'm alright, but Ted is still in danger?" Asked Andromeda.
"Yes. And not just from my master. Bellatrix really wants to make the Black family pure again, by killing Ted and Nymphadora"
"She wants Dora dead?"
"More than anyone else I'm afraid".

"It's true. During the battle a few weeks ago, she really tried everything to kill me" revealed Nymphadora.
"I can't believe that my own sister wants to kill my husband and my daughter" admitted Andromeda.
"Really? This is the same sister who turned on you the moment you revealed that you were engaged to Ted. She's also the same person who killed my brother" reminded Larissa.
"I hadn't forgotten. I just can't understand why she would want to ruin my life, by killing the things that make me happy" replied Andromeda.

Nymphadora squeezed Andromeda's hand, "Don't worry mother, I'm not going to let her get to either of us".
Andromeda smiled at her daughter before turning back to Larissa.
"Dora is pregnant" revealed Andromeda.
"Wow. Congratulations" said Larissa.
"Thank you. I admit that it was unexpected, and Remus has taken it rather badly. But I'm sure he'll come around to the idea eventually" admitted Nymphadora, as she placed her hand onto her stomach.

"Sometimes I wish that I could have had a family. But that is just another thing the dark lord took from me. I have no home and no family, because of him" sighed Larissa sadly.
"It's not too late for you to have either of those things" admitted Andromeda.
"Maybe now that the Ministry has fallen, he will let me leave the Malfoy manor and find a place of my own. But I will never be able to have a family. That ship has sailed. Besides, I have no intention of getting out of this war alive".

Andromeda frowned, "What do you mean?".
"It's a long story. Most of which I can't tell you. But know this, the dark lord and I are connected in ways I can't explain. He cannot die while I'm alive, because a part of him resides within me, anchoring him to this world" revealed Larissa.
"No" gasped Andromeda.
"I'm afraid it's true" admitted Larissa.

"No offence, by why don't you kill yourself then, to kill him?" Asked Ted.
Andromeda glared at her husband, "Ted! How can you ask such a thing?".
"Don't worry, when the time comes, I plan to do just that. But I'm not his only anchor. And I don't want to end my own life until his others have been destroyed" informed Larissa.

"Oh Rissa, are you sure there is no other way?" Questioned Andromeda.
"No Andy. I've been searching for years, and found no way to remove the dark lord's soul from my body. The only way to defeat him is for me to die in the end. But I'm O.K with that" insisted Larissa.
"How can you be so calm about all this?" Asked Andromeda.
"I've had a long time to come to terms with my fate. Besides, I haven't exactly had a nice life, so I'm kind of looking forward to an end to my pain... But until that happens, I'm here, working behind my master's back. And you cannot tell anyone about any of this"
"Don't worry, we won't betray your trust. We are family afterall"
"Yeah... family".