The Black Prince

A/N: Yay smart DSL help person who figured out the problem with my DSL was a crossed wire or something like that. It works now! Hopefully I can start posting more regularly. I’m a bit behind in my writing since so many things in my house decided to break last week but I’ve gotten them all fixed and have all day tomorrow to write. Enjoy!

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Chapter 13

Draco knocked urgently on his Prince’s bedroom door, praying that he wouldn’t be cursed for waking him up. The door suddenly sprung open without any discernable spell or movement and he was greeted with the sight of a barely dressed and visibly angry Prince. He noticed his godfather standing in the background but he doubted he would be able to help him much. He didn’t want him to be cursed as well.

\"Forgive my interruption, Prince. The owl came,\" he said as quickly as he could, holding out the letter in a visibly shaking hand.

Dorian snatched the letter from him and turned away, pacing through the room as he read the letter. Draco silently shut the door behind himself, preventing any passing soldiers or the guards from seeing into the room. Dorian finally looked up, evidently ready to issue orders not curses.

\"Very good. Go and call Lucius, Bellatrix, Lupin and Goyle. They have a mission.\"

\"Yes sir,\" Draco said, slipping from the room once more.

\"What happened, pet?\" Severus asked once they were alone again.

\"Ginevra is ready to come to us. She is awaiting your arrival,\" he said absently, still in his Prince mode.

\"Explain,\" Severus ordered.

Dorian immediately slipped back into himself, fully shedding his Prince persona. \"She wishes to join our side, Master. She begged for assistance before I left and I gave it to her in the form of Hedwig. I told her to send a letter to me when she was ready for us. I knew that all of her correspondence would be watched carefully so I told her that the words wouldn’t matter, I would send help either way. She was able to reveal though that they ordered her to send Hedwig out in an attempt to find me so she took the opportunity to go ahead and make her move.\"

Severus closed his eyes. \"When did Ginevra make her decision?\"

\"A few months ago Sir,\" Dorian whispered.

\"You need to tell me these things, pet,\" Severus said firmly and slowly, holding on to his patience with an iron grip so he wouldn’t yell at his pet. \"I nearly sent someone to obliviate the girl today when I realized that she could be telling Dumbledore about us.\"

\"Forgive me, Sir.\"

\"You must stop keeping these secrets. I can’t take care of you if you won’t let me,\" Severus said, his anger bleeding through in spite of his best efforts.

Dorian whimpered softly and stepped closer to him. \"I’m sorry Master. I wasn’t sure that it was my secret to tell.\"

Severus pulled him into his arms and rested his chin on Dorian’s curly hair. \"I know it is a difficult decision pet and I certainly don’t wish to take away every bit of privacy that you and your friends have. If there is any possibility that someone could be hurt if you don’t tell me then you must tell me immediately. You know that the Weasleys are a prominent light family. The chances were too great that we would conduct a raid on them without consulting you first should the opportunity arise. We have had standing orders for the last four years to kill or snatch any Weasley on sight. I need to know that she is on our side so I can protect her as well.\"

Dorian nodded. \"Will you go get her for me, Sir?\"

Severus sighed. \"Of course I will, pet. I wouldn’t trust anyone else to the mission. Where is she?\"

\"The Burrow. All of the family is there.\"

\"I see. Are we making this look like a raid and kidnapping or will she be waiting for us?\"

\"If all goes according to plan she will make it look like she ran away from home but you need to be prepared to stage a raid. You have to remember that she is still underage and won’t be able to help you much.\"

\"I know how old the chit is,\" Severus said fondly in spite of his rough words. Truthfully, he had always liked the Weasley girl and when she had discovered their relationship almost two years ago she had become an even closer friend of Harry’s. He had needed friends so desperately then after…well, after everything that had happened. He knew that his pet loved the girl as his sister and he had hoped that she would accept Dorian’s decisions with the ease and grace that she had accepted his relationship with her Potions Professor.

\"Thank you Sir,\" Dorian said, cuddling deeper into his Master’s arms. \"Be safe,\" he whispered, just before they had to break apart for the upcoming meeting. Severus quickly spelled some clothes on as he heard the knock announcing the arrival of the soldiers.

Draco knocked on the door again, followed by his Father, his Aunt Bella, Remus and Goyle Sr. They were admitted almost immediately.

Dorian pulled his dressing gown closed and belted it tightly, having not bothered to do so earlier when Draco had entered with the letter. \"You will all leave immediately on a mission to collect a new recruit. She will be waiting for you at the edge of her property by the lake. If all goes according to plan you will simply collect her and leave. If the alarm is somehow raised then you will be faced with fighting against her six brothers and parents, possibly ultimately dealing with reinforcements from the Order. Should such a situation occur one of you will report to me immediately so I can send more soldiers but the mission will not be called off for any reason.\"

Draco’s jaw dropped as he realized whom his Prince was speaking of.

\"This is the reason I have chosen you six for this raid,\" Dorian explained, ignoring the soldiers’ open shock. \"Bellatrix, Lucius, Remus and Severus will be in charge of any attacks that need to be made. Draco, you will keep watch for any intruding family members and assist as needed, contacting me should you feel the need for reinforcements or should one of your superiors wish you to do so. Goyle, if everything else fails your duty—your only duty—is to get the girl to safety. Simply grab her and run if need be.\" He handed the large man a portkey that was hanging on a necklace. \"Here is a portkey that you will carry on your person for such a situation. I will hold you personally responsible if any harm comes to her.\"

Thomas Goyle nodded, understanding his orders well and he promptly put the necklace on, slipping it under his robes for safety. He was often sent on missions for just such reasons. While the others were busy covering his back and using fancy curses that he could never hope to master he would simply go in and grab whatever or whomever they were looking for. He was immensely strong and physical fighting was his forte rather than using his magic. He had never failed a mission yet when he was given orders such as these.

\"Are we going after the Weasley girl?\" Bella asked hesitantly, having put the clues together earlier as well. There weren’t that many witches in England that had six older brothers and were too young to come to the Death Eaters on their own.

\"Ginevra Weasley decided to join our forces many months ago. Now it is time to collect her. We must protect what is ours.\"

\"Yes, my Prince,\" she murmured obediently, not wishing to raise his ire and be removed from the mission.

\"Leave me,\" Dorian ordered, watching as the soldiers filed out. He closed his eyes for a moment and contacted Voldemort, letting him know about the most recent developments. He normally would have done so before placing the orders but he needed to fix things with his Master at the time so he had delayed doing so.

Tom expressed irritation until Dorian sent him a compressed memory of his time with his Master and then Tom gave him a mental nod of approval before deciding to join him in waiting up for the team to return. Like Dorian (although neither would ever admit it), he worried about his soldiers when they went on missions such as this one.

The two settled down comfortably with drinks, ready for a long night. If all went well the group would be back within the hour. If a battle ensued they could be faced with a multi hour fight.

\"I’m sorry I did not understand about your relationship before. I didn’t mean to make things difficult with you,\" Voldemort said.

\"You didn’t create any problems. We both know that we need to be different people outside this room. The only time we have had any real difficulty with it was when we had the first meeting planning our movements for the next school year. We settled that quickly enough.\"

Voldemort smirked. \"You certainly did. So, young Ginevra Weasley wishes to join us?\"

\"She has hated the light nearly as long as I have. A while back when I was faced with the betrayal she stayed at my side. She found out about my relationship with Severus and to our shock she fully supported it, even when she knew the exact nature of it. We spent a number of nights together in His rooms playing chess with us and talking about various problems in the wizarding world. I was terrified I would lose her when I came to the Dark but she had seen my decision long before I did myself. She told me subtly over a year ago that she would always be on my side no matter what happened and she told me her intentions plainly three months ago when she realized that the move would happen during the summer.\"

\"What will she do about school next year?\"

\"I hoped to finish her education here among the Death Eaters. I thought we might wish to consider opening a school of sorts for students like her who wish to come to our side but cannot because of their parents. It gives them the security of a home and the knowledge that they will still finish their education while still following their ideals.\"

\"That is an interesting idea,\" Tom said thoughtfully. \"We do need to keep some students in Hogwarts though to be able to assist in recruiting.\"

\"Yes, yes, of course. I wouldn’t recommend pulling the Death Eater children. They already have a guaranteed home with their parents and there is no problem with them following their ideals and joining our side. The school would only be intended for those who find their home situation unbearable and need a safe haven.\"

\"This bears further thought.\" The two men started as they heard the soldiers coming back down the hall, Severus knocking lightly on the door.

\"Enter.\" The small group entered looking none the worse for the wear. Ginevra smiled happily when she saw her friend. \"You had no problems?\" he asked the group, not acknowledging her presence yet and in fact, barely glancing at her.

Ginny’s smile didn’t fade at all. She had been expecting it. She was just thrilled to see him looking healthy and…well, not happy at the moment but definitely more content that usual. She could tell that he was happy though, even though he was concealing it.

\"None, my Prince,\" Lucius replied. \"We took only a small satchel of clothing with us to help convince them that Miss Weasley ran away.\"

The group seemed to breathe a collective sigh of relief when Lucius took over the role as spokesman for their mission. They were all relieved to be safely back at Headquarters. Attacking such a large family of light wizards was unnerving. Being told by Severus moments before they left that the young lady in question was all but a sister to their Prince made it terrifying. Losing or hurting her would result in death, of that they were quite certain.

\"Very good. Ginevra, you will be inducted during a general meeting with young Crabbe and Goyle in two weeks.\"

Thomas Goyle grinned when he heard this, finally hearing officially when his son would be inducted. He had feared that under this new rule that there would be no place for his boy. He was no fool: he knew his son was slow and only about as powerful as he himself was. He was relieved to find that his Prince was fair and just as the soldiers had thought he would be as evidenced by the Mark he had chosen to brand them with on that first day. Evidently the scales of justice were able not only to meet out proper punishment but also to weigh the worth of those around him and find value in those whom others would throw aside. Dumbledore had certainly never bothered with either of the Goyles before.

Dorian continued. \"Before you can stay in our Headquarters though you must pass the legilimency test to protect out other soldiers. Are you prepared?\"

\"Yes Dorian,\" she said quietly, stepping closer to Voldemort and kneeling. \"I pledge my loyalty to my Lord Voldemort and my Prince. I submit myself willingly to any test or proofs that they desire.\"

Voldemort bent down and clasped her face in his hands, looking deep into her mind. After a long time he straightened again. \"Welcome to our home, Ginevra.\"

She smiled happily, completely unfazed by the test she had just endured. She had long known that she would undergo such a trial. Dorian and Remus had both explained it to her, making it clear that her trial would be worse than most since she came from such a light family. It was not completely uncommon for a young witch or wizard to turn from their family’s ways but the leaders still needed to use more caution when faced with such a situation. \"Thank you my Lord,\" she said softly.

\"You are dismissed,\" Dorian said to the soldiers, his approval clear on his face although his words were still empty of emotion. \"Draco,\" he called out, stopping the young man before he left. \"Tell a house elf to prepare the rooms next to mine for Miss Weasley. Have them create a connecting door between her rooms and my sitting room.\"

Draco bowed quickly and left to deliver the message. Only Severus, Ginevra, and the two leaders remained.

Ginny hugged Dorian immediately. \"Oh Dorian, I missed you so much,\" she said, clinging tightly to him.

\"Was it very bad?\" he asked her softly, brushing her long hair from her eyes.

\"They were wretched. Oh, nothing like the Dursleys, I know. I almost feel like an idiot for complaining about them to you.\"

\"Don’t sister, I understand. What happened?\"

\"They are all in a panic about your supposed disappearance. Ron keeps gloating about how he will be the one to ‘save’ you and that you never could fight anyone and certainly couldn’t save yourself. He’s telling everyone that Harry Potter was a weak fool and that he could beat him with his eyes closed. Honestly Dorian, I wanted to punch him.\"

\"You should have,\" Severus muttered, sitting down in an armchair beside his Lord. Dorian immediately sat at his feet but he conjured a comfortable footstool for his sister to sit on while staying at his side.

\"What else happened? What are they doing right now?\" Dorian asked, holding her hand still, not ready to let go yet. This was the way that his need to touch people typically manifested itself—as a high level of what would seem to some to be nearly inappropriate touching although it never progressed to anything truly inappropriate. He often held his godfather’s hand and sometimes slept in his bed when he couldn’t be near his Master. The less contact he had with his mate, the more contact he needed with others. The contact was more soothing when it was with someone he loved and trusted. Even though he had clearly fed recently he still needed to be near his sister after being separated for so long.

\"The twins are just as bad, really. I can’t believe I’m saying it but they are turning into mini-Percy-s. It’s terrible! They used to be so wonderful and now all they care about is making more money and tricking Slytherins. It’s like they are a pair of demented three year olds. Bill and Charlie aren’t around that much but they seem to still be on the light side. I can’t really tell. And mum is going around moaning all the time about how we are all going to die because Harry had to go and get himself kidnapped. Dad just agrees with her. It’s awful!\"

\"You’re here now though,\" Dorian said happily, stroking her hand lightly. \"You’re just in time to see if the metamorphmagus potion works on me. We’re testing it tomorrow morning.\"

\"So you finally made it Severus?\" she asked her Professor eagerly. The two had long since given up formal titles since they spent so much time together. It also felt a bit ridiculous to resort to formalities when Dorian was lounging around stark naked.

\"Yes, my pet talked me into it, but only because it will be the ultimate protection for him next year should he truly open the shop.\"

\"What shop?\"

\"We are thinking of having Dorian open a shop of some sort in Hogsmeade for recruitment purposes,\" Voldemort explained. \"We haven’t decided what type of shop yet though.\"

\"Can I help work in it?\" she asked eagerly.

\"You’ll have to do something about that hair,\" Severus said, nodding to her long, flamingly red locks. She shrugged her shoulders indifferently, more than ready to dye it or cut it, whatever it would take if she could stay with Dorian. \"We’ll see how far you get in your education this summer and how much Dorian is willing to tutor you next year. I don’t want you to miss out on your degree because of all of this.\"

\"I won’t. I’ll study really hard. Please Severus, you have to let me!\"

Dorian and Voldemort snorted at the same time. \"I believe you are asking the wrong man for permission,\" Tom finally said, although not without amusement. \"Prince and I are the only ones who can give such orders.\"

Ginny blushed. \"Forgive me, my Lord. I am accustomed to asking Severus for permission to do things with Dorian since he is my brother’s Master. I forgot. I’ll try not to do it again.\"

\"Understandable, my girl,\" he said with a gentleness that would have floored even the members of the elite. He found that he rather liked the young girl. He had certainly been impressed with the insight he had gained through looking at her mind so thoroughly. As he had seen more of what his ally had been faced with in the last few years his respect for Ginevra’s unfailing friendship and loyalty had grown. \"Don’t allow it to happen again, especially in front of anyone else. If you do it when there are others present to hear you then I will punish you appropriately.\"

Ginny shuddered at the promise. \"No sir, I won’t,\" she promised quickly.

\"You speak of the Prince as your brother. Do you then deny your blood brothers?\" Voldemort asked.

\"I am no longer a Weasley,\" she announced firmly, holding her chin high as if defying him to contradict her. \"I left that name behind today.\"

\"She’s a Black,\" Dorian announced just as resolutely. Ginny nodded emphatically once more, indicating her agreement and her approval.

\"Very well. Will we be announcing her as such to the Death Eaters?\"

Dorian thought quietly for a few moments. No one interrupted his thoughts, Severus simply stroking his hair lightly while Ginny held his hand firmly. \"I believe it may be time to reveal my true name to the rest of the Death Eaters. They already know I am part Incubus, the rest of the revelation should actually be a comfort to them, given their distrust and dislike of James Potter. We should make that announcement in the next few days and then they should be ready for us to introduce Ginevra as my sister on her initiation day.\"

\"That sounds good. I believe that the soldiers are ready to hear your true parentage and name. They already respect and fear you and this will only add to it. Speaking of fear though, are you ever intending to undo the curse you put on that impudent boy?\" he asked, inquiring after the poor soldier whom Dorian had cursed in the garden a few days previously.

Dorian shrugged. \"I hadn’t thought about it. Perhaps.\"

\"I don’t particularly care one way or another but it has certainly earned you a reputation among the soldiers, particularly the young ones what with the punishment you inflicted upon young Malfoy as well.\"

\"What did you do to Malfoy?\" Ginny asked, curious but not even remotely vindictive. She had long ago laid aside any true anger she had for the boy and now she just felt a vague sense of amusement around him. His insults were often quite amusing, especially since they were often aimed at Ron.

\"A simple pain curse,\" Dorian said blandly.

Severus choked. \"He used a curse that is many levels worse than the Cruciatus but remains legal simply because so few wizards are capable of even casting it that the Ministry has never wasted the time to outlaw it.\"

\"What on earth did he do?\"

\"He insulted my mate,\" Dorian snarled, his anger rising immediately as if the event had just happened. He had hoped that with time his nearly violent defense of his mate would calm down but it didn’t appear to be doing so yet.

Ginny shook her head. \"Stupid boy. He’s smarter than that. I hope he learned his lesson.\"

\"He did, evidently well enough for Dorian to promote him this afternoon,\" Voldemort said, laughing lightly. The sight of Voldemort laughing would have sent many a strong witch or wizard to shaking but Ginny simply smiled back. She had always had nerves of steel and she wasn’t terribly afraid of him. It helped that she knew that she would never be punished on a whim but only for a true misstep, what with her place as the Black Prince’s adopted sister. She, like Remus, would enjoy a sort of halcyon existence in the Death Eaters given their close ties to the Prince.

\"He amuses me,\" Dorian defended himself. \"And he apologized very well. He was actually shaking at one point. Quite a nice touch.\"

Severus cuffed him lightly on the head. \"You need to remember that you can be intimidating at times, pet,\" he said, a warning in his voice. He tried to keep away from controlling or commenting on his pet’s behavior as the Prince but they were in an odd situation once again where he was half in and half out of his role as the Prince.

\"Yes Sir,\" he said, smiling. \"I didn’t purposefully scare him, he just scares easily.\"

Ginevra snorted but kept quiet about the topic. \"Can he show me to my rooms?\" she asked Severus, eager to see her new home.

Severus nodded. \"Go and approve her rooms for her use and then return. I expect you back here within thirty minutes. No dallying.\"

\"Thank you Sir,\" Dorian said, leaning in for a quick kiss and then hesitating, knowing that he shouldn’t make the first move. He was terrible at remembering this—worse than he was at remembering to keep his clothes on unless he was given permission to take them off, worse than he was at remembering to wait for permission to give his Master a blow job.

Severus sighed and pulled him closer, giving him a quick but deep kiss. \"Go,\" he ordered, smiling lightly as Dorian grabbed Ginevra’s hand and pulled her out of the room, eager to see the new rooms that were attached to his. It was rare that his lover was comfortable enough to act like a seventeen year old and being near Ginevra often brought out the kid in him.

\"He’s a fascinating young man,\" Voldemort said, looking after him as well. He was amazed with the ease with which his ally picked up and discarded such immense power. He certainly couldn’t have done it once, much less multiple times throughout the day or even conversation as Dorian did. The most fascinating part was the way that both aspects of his character made sense and fit with him—neither one seemed to be a fabrication. He was perhaps more comfortable in his relationship with Severus but he certainly wasn’t uncomfortable as the Prince. There was definitely a part of him that craved the Darkness and hungered for power and control. \"And he has chosen his sister well. Not many young women could have settled into the situation so well.\"

\"They are both unusual and amazing individuals. I don’t know what Dorian would have done without her over the years. Thank the gods that she stayed faithful to him through it all.\"

\"I don’t see how I can separate them next year,\" Voldemort said, \"especially after what I have seen in her memories. I only caught glimpses and flashes but it was enough to convince me to make no effort to separate the two. I suppose I will allow Prince to make the final decision but I will push for having her at the shop a few days a week at least, to help him keep his calm.\"

\"I will as well, when he asks my opinion.\"

Voldemort nodded. \"Good night, my old friend.\"

\"Good night, my Lord.\"