Unexpected Mates

Reassurances

When Lucius returned to the boys' rooms, he found them both working diligently, both so lost in their essays they hardly realised he had entered.

"Hah! One down, two to go!" Harry crowed happily as he signed his essay with a flourish. "Trust Snape to assign three four-foot essays when all the other teachers only assigned one."

"That is Severus for you. He wanted to ensure that only those who are truly interested in Potions selected his NEWT class." Lucius said with amusement, causing both boys to start.

"Afternoon Mr Malfoy. Figures! Oh, Draco would you mind looking through my essay? I'd like a second opinion before submitting it to Snape so he can't throw it out on sight," Harry asked, pleading with the boy, and giving Draco the most adorable puppy dog look, making it completely impossible for the blonde to say no. Draco accepted the scroll and unrolling it, began to read.

"This is bloody brilliant!" he said once he had finished, handing back the scroll. "Uncle Sev will definitely be impressed with that essay, Harry! But where in Salazar's name did you find a copy of 'Light Versus Dark When Healing'? It is rumoured that there are only three copies left in the whole world. Father and Severus have been trying to find a copy for years.

"In the Black Library, why've you been looking so long Mr Malfoy?"

"According to rumour. There are several rare potions detailed in that book, it is our hope that we might find one which would help us to remove the Dark Lords mark, that we might be free of it." Harry contemplated this for a moment and then asked:

"If you don't mind my asking, if you want the marks removed. Does that mean you no longer follow Voldemort?"

There was a short silence, and then Lucius moved further into the room, sitting opposite the brunette boy. He sighed and gathered his thoughts, the boy had asked a very good question; unfortunately, the answer was not simple.

"Will you allow me to tell you the whole story, or certainly the story as I first heard it. I believe it will help you to understand my motives and those of others like myself," and receiving Harry's nod he continued;

"When the Dark Lord first began gaining power he was not as he is now. He was a young, attractive, charismatic man. A traditionalist, who despite not being a pure-blood himself, had all the pride and knowledge of our heritage as those that were. He quickly won many people to his side, having similar opinions about the ministry and the state of the wizarding world at the time. Bear in mind if you can, that it was only a few decades earlier that another war had occurred with Grindelwald, and many families still bore the scars. Many had lost heirs and family members; the ministry was in complete shambles. Tom Riddle was the answer to many people's prayers; a well-spoken individual who put their needs and wants first and had the intelligence to achieve what he said he would. It was this man that many people fell prey to, including Severus and myself.

It was only after he spent considerable time within the ministry attempting to bring about his aims that he started to change. He became more ambitious, driven by the need for power more than any want of connection or tradition. He began styling himself as 'Lord Voldemort' or the Dark Lord. His opinions began to change also, where before his only opponent had been those that stood in the way of progress, it was now anyone who sided with the ministry and progressed into anyone who wasn't a pure-blooded wizard. He even began spreading the idea that having Creature blood was unfavourable as it made the beholder 'unclean' when for centuries it had been seen as an honour to have certain Creature's blood in your family line, such as Elves, Veela, Vampires and such. He warped and twisted his original ideals but many had already sworn loyalty to him and so were trapped.

Once he was finally killed, many of his original following were relieved to be rid of him, of course some truly mourned his defeat but only those people who hated muggles and Creatures of any kind: jealous, racist imbeciles. When he was returned to his body though, even some of those people noticed the change in him. He is nothing of his former self. There is no charm or gentility in him now. He is uncaring and unfeeling, even for the suffering of his own followers. He is no longer interested in fulfilling his promises, he only cares for power and, if you'll forgive me for saying so, finding a way to kill you."