A Deeper Connection: A New Beginning

Alligances

The moment Tom, Harry, and Severus reappeared in the lavish entrance hall of Malfoy Manor, they were bombarded with a seemingly never-ending flood of questions.

"How did it go?" Draco asked, while his mother was trying to determine if all three of them had not harmed their still frail health and magic with the lengthy trip to Gringotts, "You have been gone for far too long. You should not have disrupted your recovery so soon. I was beyond worried. How do you feel, Harry? My Lord?"

"Did the Goblins keep up their bargain?" Corvus Lestrange's voice boomed through the entrance hall, an octave lower than the voices of both Malfoys, "is it safe for you to ingest the Inheritance Potion?"

Ignoring the questions for now, Tom rolled his eyes as he and Severus pulled Harry off the floor, who quietly muttered to himself how much he hated Portkeys.

"Trust me, you will get better the more often you use them," the Dark Lord said quietly, as his equal went on to dust his clothes, before raising his voice to drown the onslaught of questions, "Enough! Harry and I are both as healthy as one can be, and we were in fact successful. The Goblins kept their word. I am a Prince."

For a moment, no one spoke a word as the information which had just been revealed was being processed by those present. Sadly, the silence did not last for too long as a new wave of questions crept up on the horizon. Sighing, the Dark Lord braced himself for a lengthier explanation of the events at the Goblin bank.

Once all questions had been answered, Tom leaned back in his lavish wingback chair in the sitting room of Malfoy Manor, his crimson eyes boring into the nervous eyes of his oldest friend, "Corvus, I demand your decision now. Do you, or do you not want to employ the help of the Longbottoms?"

For a moment, it appeared like the Lord of the Lestrange family was deflating in his seat. On one hand, Tom could understand him since his decision could severely harm the long and proud history of the Lestrange family, possibly even seal the end of the line entirely. On the other hand, a collaboration with the Longbottoms could free Rodolphus and Rabastan as well as open a lot of doors that had been closed for the Lestrange family ever since the disappearance of the Dark Lord. Survival and opportunity were just a decision away.

"As much as I hate to admit this," Corvus began after a tense minute of silence and contemplation, "I think I have to try, for the sake of my sons, for the sake of myself, and for the sake of my line..."

"Thank you for your decision, old friend," Tom said, patting the back of the Lord of the Lestrange family reassuringly before focussing his attention on the Lord of the Malfoy family who had remained oddly quiet throughout the entire exchange, "Lucius, you know what to do."

"I do, my Lord," the blond confirmed, his voice silky and smooth, "I will set up the meeting for Friday. Are you sure that you do not want to stay here?"

"I am most certain," Tom replied, "as much as I would like to accept your invitation, I have a cover to keep. Living anywhere else but Spinner's End would certainly only arouse suspicion."

Thanks to the help of Severus, Tom and Harry materialised in a familiar living room, lined from floor to ceiling with shelves which were filled to the brim with books upon books, stretching from the Dark Arts to Muggle fiction.

"I am more than aware how small this house is," the Potions Master said after clearing his throat, looking slightly uncomfortable at the prospect of hosting the Dark Lord in his father's house, "if you two want to, we can magically expand a few rooms, and maybe even add a personal room fo-"

"That will be unnecessary, Severus," Tom chuckled, while his crimson orbs catalogued every detail of the room, "the house is perfectly fine as it is. If there is a problem, Harry and I will take care of it ourselves."