The Weasley of Slytherin: The Deathly Hallows

Chapter 15: In the Manor

"So what's the plan then?" Vaughn asked as soon as I entered the kitchen the next morning.

"Ah yes Mr. Riddle, I am quite excited to hear your plan." Archibald said.

"Knowing the demon it'll involve plenty of murder." Cullins muttered from the corner of the room.

"Doesn't bother me." Ingrid said, she was sitting behind Grace brushing her hair.

"Well, I thought we'd try to hit You-Know-Who's base of operations," I said taking a breath, "we just have to find out where that is."

I saw the others faces fall slightly, clearly they had expected a more descriptive plan than that.

"That's it?" Vaughn asked shaking his head. "That's your big plan? You don't even know where it is do you?"

"Err...well..."

"He's only a kid big guy." William said, who was also looking quite disappointed as he patted Vaughn's arm. "It'd be a good plan if we knew where that was, or how to get to it but we don't."

"I thought maybe you or Faolan might kno-"

"We left before the Dark Lord came back." Faolan said cutting me off. "And even back then neither William nor I were important enough to know this."

"Well we could-"

"I should've just stayed in Azkaban." Vaughn said. "At least there I wasn't being hunted down. You realize the Death Eaters will be looking for me, and Grace now? Because we helped you."

I hadn't thought of that yet.

Come on there's got to be something we know...

It was Archibald that came to my rescue. "I might be able to help Mr. Riddle." He said, stepping forward with a slight flourish of his threadbare cloak.

"I heard, from one of my clients, that the Dark Lord has been using the Malfoy's manor as his base of operations, and I just so happen to have done business there before—"

"I thought you said your business hasn't been great?" Vaughn caught him off.

"Ah yes, true it hasn't been great, but it's not gone, not completely at least."

"And why did they know You-Know-Who's base of operations?" Vaughn narrowed his eyes.

"Ah, a good merchant asks no questions, and knows that everything has its value...even information. I thought the Dark Lord my try to trick me, use a previous client to trap me, I've been avoiding the Malfoy's for as long as I can...but perhaps I could set up a business meeting, bring you as my bodyguard Mr. Riddle."

"I don't think (Y/n) should go by himself." Faolan said.

"Then he can bring Mr. Vaughn with him." Archibald said. "I'm sure I can set up the meeting by the end of the week—"

"No." I said cutting him off. "If we do this, we all go, and we'll need time to plan and prepare."

"But think about little Grace, Mr. Riddle, it's no place for a lady like her." Archibald said. "And I could get away with one maybe two bodyguards but all of us? There's just too many."

"All the more reason to wait then." I told him firmly.

"I can stay back with Grace if I need to, that'll lower our number by two." Ingrid suggested.

"And Faolan and I already have dark marks, if we can get our hands on some Death Eaters masks, with a little distraction we can slip in easy enough."

"And then llwynog, the muggle, and I can escort you, I'm sure this Malfoy will understand the need for extra security." Vaughn said eying Archibald.