No Beta

Ner words in this chapter: 3,223

"Talking"

'Thinking'

–Parseltongue–

{Mind-talking through Horcrux}

Thinking in 3rd person POV/Dream/Memory/Flashback/Others

Letter/Journal/Book/Newspaper

Time change/Date of time

Change of POV

Chapter XVII

–New Year's Eve Ball–

Friday, 31 December 1971

CEP's POV

Harry raised an eyebrow when Head Boy Evan Rosier Jr sat by his side.

"You were invited to the ball?"

"Lord Malfoy decided to invite all of His closest Knights and respective family." Rosier Jr agreed, before signalling at Harry's hair. "I thought you didn't like the all pampered up look. When did you get that?"

"Aunt Genevieve used the Peverell Family ring as a module to give me Family Jewellery without me being able to argue." Harry supplied with a shrug. "Then I guess that Death Eaters must be filling up the Ballroom."

"Knights of Walpurgis." Rosier Jr amended and Harry raised an eyebrow confused. "According to my father that is their name."

"Oh… makes more sense than Death Eaters." Harry said shyly. "Professor Riddle probably wondered who I spoke about when I wrote him that letter snapping at him."

"He most likely did." Rosier Jr agreed. "Why do you call them that?"

"They kill people." Harry shrugged and looked again down the gardens. "Can you explain me something about Magic Words?" Rosier Jr hummed affirmatively as they heard people inside the Malfoy Manor's ballroom, Harry almost dreaded having suggested it to Aunt Genevieve. "When you used them you made an Unbreakable Vow."

"Unbreakable Oath." Rosier Jr agreed.

"What's the difference between what you did and me telling Uncle Abraxas that He had already agreed to buy me a broom even though Uncle Abraxas had just told me that I would not have any."

Rosier Jr stayed quiet and Harry looked at him to see him frowning.

"You claimed Him as your Legal Guardian?"

"Apparently."

Rosier Jr sighed and looked up at the sky where they still could see the sun.

"When you speak sometimes you feel your magic singing with you, am I right?" The older teenager asked and Harry frowned, before shaking his head. "Well… sometimes when you are certain of something your magic sings with you, it's practically palpable. The way I used it was on purpose.

"Some people use it to say something but make people do another thing. Very few people can tell when they are being forced though." Rosier Jr explained. "You can also use it as a mode of applying an Unbreakable Oath, it will lock your own Magical Core to what you said. As much as I try I will be forced to implant the Oath or I'll literally die."

Harry stood immediately and looked at the other affronted. To his surprise the other smiled back.

"But…"

"I chose this. I vowed for you and your future children. I could have stayed quiet, but I chose to say it. The way I did it makes it my choice. You can't force someone to make an Unbreakable Oath with the person's own Magic Words. The person has to be willing and do it of their own agreement."

Harry's eyes watered.

"My Luck will most likely get you killed!" He argued.

"It was still my choice to make, not yours." Rosier Jr said and Harry's throat tightened. "Finally, the way you used it:

"When a child refuses the Legal Guardian (Lord Malfoy in your case)'s Rights to tell the child what to do and claim that someone else has more Rights than the Legal Guardian (your Courter in this case) then the child's magic acts up and makes the words Law.

"So long as Professor Riddle is your Courter he'll be your Legal Guardian. Of course that the Malfoys are still your family and still the one signing your paperwork unless you want for the Headmaster to know that you are in a Courtship with a School Professor, but Lord Malfoy has to pass through Professor Riddle from now on when it comes to you."

Harry accepted the handkerchief, took his glasses out and wiped his eyes out.

"But if I have an accident…" he started, not caring about his own Magic Words anymore.

"I'll be there before you know it. Unless you or your future children die, it won't kill at me unless I refuse to go." Rosier Jr explained. "You may be a Slytherin and be very mature, but you have your feelings up your sleeve like a Gryffindor, don't you?"

"Blame it on my Muggle upbringing." Harry snapped in agreement as he finally controlled his tears.

"Evie?"

Harry froze and then raised his head from the handkerchief to look at the newcomer only to remember that he didn't have his glasses on. He hurried to grab them from where he stored them when he heard something fall and break.

"Bollocks!" He grumbled and opened his hand towards the floor. "Accio glasses." Harry's glasses flew to his hand. "Oculus Reparo!"

Harry put them on just as Voldemort arrived his side. The older narrowed his eyes as the last shred of the glasses' glass fixed itself.

"Evan Jr, I know it was wandless but just in case a letter arrives…"

"I was the one who performed the wandless magic since I'm the one off-age." The teenager promptly agreed. "Heiress Peverell should buy magical glasses."

"I'll see prices." Voldemort agreed as he looked at Harry in the eyes through his glasses. "Why were you crying, Evie?"

"Rosier Jr explained what will happen if something happens to me." Harry made a move to return the handkerchief towards the teenager but Dobby popped in and picked it, disappearing. "Wha…? Dobby, that ain't mine!"

"It knows." Voldemort argued. "Evan Rosier Jr, even if your bodyguard, is not family. Your House-elf has to clean it before you can return it."

"Wizardry World has too many rules." Harry grumbled.

Voldemort scoffed.

"You are part of this Wizardry World, Evie. You need to learn to live in it." The older offered and leaned forward and down, kissing Harry's forehead.

Harry felt a refreshing spell rush over him and raised an eyebrow at the older.

"Did you just curse me? And with a kiss?"

"Another mode of applying Magic Words to people who are immune to Magic Words control is through skin contact." Rosier Jr supplied.

Harry's eyes grew and turned horrified towards Voldemort, who rolled his eyes.

"All I did was a refreshing spell. If I used Magic Words if you were immune then you would feel the words being spoken inside your mind. And Magic Words' Control only control your magic and your movements. They do not do what I just did." Voldemort argued. "Besides, Magic Words control are more the old Fool's type. He never liked me because I'm immune to them, which was why I stepped in between you and him when I saw him get ready to use them."

No… Dumbledore…

Harry went to pass a hand through his hair when his hand hit the diadem he had on.

All he had wanted was to move back in time enough to rescue Sirius and instead he had ended up in a past where things he had been lied about where suddenly uncovered. He didn't know who to trust anymore. Who to believe. What to do. Dumbledore hated him for being a Slytherin and for being a Malfoy. Voldemort wanted to wed him. Lucius had willingly broken the Feud with the Weasleys for Ron.

The future as Harry knew it would never happen.

He was already changing the timeline and all he had done was show-up.

It wasn't just about shaping Voldemort to not turn as Dark as Harry knew he could become anymore. As many doors that Harry opened, Dumbledore closed just as much.

Yet, Voldemort wasn't being as deadly as Harry knew he supposedly was by this Era. He was holding back for Harry's sake.

"Evie?"

Harry looked up at Voldemort, who was looking back worriedly.

"I want to become an Illegal Animagus." He put in, what confused the other two.

–C-T–

LV's POV

Voldemort watched as Evie laughed at whatever Miss Nott told him as the New Years' Eve Ball happened.

"Professor." A female voice said and Voldemort nodded his head at Genevieve Malfoy. "Calisto was the one who requested for today's ball." The Witch offered and he looked at her confused, to which she mentioned down at Voldemort's new cufflinks. "He wanted to do it in a way you wouldn't argue about a ball, but still doing it for you."

Voldemort looked up at Evie again just as a new music started playing. He set down his glass by the side, which was whisked away by a popping in House-elf, and then stepped through the ballroom. He didn't need to look to know that all of his Knights had stopped whatever they were doing to glance back. He arrived the young bearer's side and offered his hand.

"May I have this dance?"

"I… I can't dance." Evie argued.

"Then may I have the satisfaction of having you stepping on my toes?" Voldemort amended himself.

Miss Nott slightly pushed Evie's back forward to persuade him to accept. The boy glared back at her, before he accepted the hand and allowed Voldemort to guide him to the middle of the ballroom. Voldemort was amused at the fact that he had to teach the boy to not take Voldemort's waist and instead set his hand on the older's shoulder (or as close as his shortness allowed).

"Everyone is looking." The boy mumbled as Voldemort guided him through the dance.

"Of course they are. You organized me a birthday party in secrecy in a way I would accept without telling me what it really was about. All they know was that this party is in my honour. You made this, Evie. You asked for this."

"Because I wanted you to come to the Manor today and I didn't know another way to do it without telling you the why." Evie said defiantly.

Voldemort smirked, grabbed Evie's waist and rose him up in the middle of the dance movement. He had no idea what the boy had talked about. He was a great dancer or maybe he just needed the right person to guide him through the dance. He probably had been taught by women and had taken the guiding position instead. Voldemort would have to have a speech with Genevieve over the proper way to teach another person how to dance.

"I'm here and you got your wish. Don't I deserve the right for a dance?" Voldemort offered back and Evie blushed.

"Everyone is still staring." The boy said to change subject.

"Their Lord is dancing with his Courted." Voldemort agreed, caressing Evie's hand on his, his other hand on the boy's waist as they danced. "They don't know what today symbolizes. All they see is that their Lord – the Guest of Honour – is dancing with you."

The boy sighed and didn't argue. Finally the song finished and Evie nodded his head back once, before walking back towards where Miss Nott was. Voldemort watched him go and (when suddenly Bellatrix Black hurried to his side as his Knights and their wives joined in the dancing stand) turned around to leave the stand.

Not even when he had been a teenager at Hogwarts had he taken someone to the School balls. Not once had he ever danced with someone. Not once had he allowed someone that close. Evie was the first and most likely would be the only one.

As he left the stand Voldemort bypassed Abraxas while the blond walked in with his wife. The blond couple bowing their heads on the way in. Voldemort had just opened the ball by being the first to dance and he hadn't just done that. He had showed to all of his closest Knights and respective family exactly why he and Abraxas were arguing on every Knight's Meeting that happened. With one dance, Voldemort had just showed exactly what Evie symbolized to him. With the way he asked to be stepped in, he showed that he didn't want Evie to be a typical wife.

Voldemort noticed the way Amphitrite Malfoy was looking back, so he served two glasses from the drink's table and approached her, giving her one of them. The Witch accepted the glass.

"I won't do anything that he refuses." He offered quietly. "But in case your in-law didn't tell you, I wasn't the one who hosted this Ball. It was your son."

The Witch nodded, her Pureblood mask hiding her surprise at the news, as she sipped from her glass.

"Please make me one Oath." The Witch requested and Voldemort hummed inquisitively. "I saw the way you look at him, I know you won't hurt him. That's not what I want you to vow on. I want you to use Magic Words that you won't be the one to first kiss him. I want Kari to be the one to do it first. When he does it you'll know he is ready for something more, but until then I want it to stay like this."

Voldemort looked at the blonde's blue eyes and then back at where Evie was beside Miss Nott, Miss Black, Heir Black and Mr Black. Then he looked again to his intended's mother.

"You have my word that I won't be the first to initiate contact on our first time: on both kiss and if I'll be the one to take his virginity." He agreed, using Magic Words and letting it cement on his Magical Core and, at the same time, letting the Witch feel it lock to her Magical Core as well.

"Thank you." The Witch agreed. "I know from my brother that I should not make requests from you, but…"

"Evie is your son. He might have been sent away by your father, but you still claimed him and didn't let him stay a bastard. He is yours. Just because Abraxas doesn't know who is on the top of the food chain like your father didn't, doesn't meant that I'm as fool as they are." Voldemort argued with a bow of his head. "I will not do anything that you see as me taking advantage. It's the last thing I want to do."

"I'll do my best to warn you without overpassing my mother's rights if I believe you need to let him be himself." Amphitrite agreed. "I believe you will have trouble with those two." She added.

Voldemort looked at who she mentioned to see Bellatrix looking jealously and Orion Black looking with disgust at Evie. Orion…

"Sirius Black is a bearer as well, but they haven't put a female title for him like you did." Voldemort offered.

Amphitrite looked at the boy messing with her son, most likely for dancing with Voldemort, and then at Orion.

"Is he engaged?" She asked.

"With Rodolphus Lestrange." Voldemort said.

"I'll go warn Lord Lestrange that Lord Black is homophobic before something wrong happens between him and his son." Amphitrite agreed and set down the empty glass.

"And I better go warn my apprentice exactly how important Evie is before she tries anything." He replied and walked towards the brunette, whose eyes immediately lite up. "Shall we speak in the gardens?"

"Of course." The Young Witch followed him out the ballroom as Voldemort felt Evie follow him with his eyes.

He almost let a smile show up, but managed to hide it. Evie wouldn't understand that it was a smile of amusement because the boy was tracking his whereabouts, instead of a smile because he was leaving with Bellatrix. He didn't want Evie to think that there might be something between them.

"What has your family told you about me?" Voldemort asked as they arrived the gardens and entered the garden labyrinth with hedgerows for walls.

"That you are powerful and don't take just anyone as your apprentice." His apprentice was fast to supply.

Voldemort looked at her as he let his features return to normal (since none of the children in the ballroom could see them) and then ahead again.

"I also do not use nicknames lightly. I hate it." He added and Bellatrix nodded. "I'm the only one who calls Calisto Evelyn Peverell by Evie. I'm even the one who nicknamed him that."

Bellatrix frowned.

"My Lord?"

"And Evie will never call: «my Lord»." He added pointedly. "If I do my job right, one day he'll call me «husband» and I will be the happiest person alive when he does it."

The 21-year-old Witch's eyes grew, obviously understanding that she either accepted Evie or Voldemort would get rid of her.

"May I ask what he has that I don't?"

Voldemort looked at her as they arrived outside the marriage clearing where one day Evie would be waiting for him inside during their possible wedding ceremony.

"Evie wouldn't have asked permission. He would just demand the information." He offered and the Witch's eyes grew horrified. "He is 11 and without any teaching whatsoever he is performing wandless spells after spells without going magic weak. I had to teach you for years and only recently you started to being able to do one single spell without overusing your Magical Core." Voldemort set a hand on the hedgerow, beside the entrance of the clearing and closed his eyes as he felt the amount of magical traps that had been set up over the centuries of Malfoy's wedding ceremonies. He felt his own trap for Abraxas' wedding with Genevieve, that would be a trap that even Voldemort would have trouble passing through on the way to Evie. He needed to study each of them to be able to dispel them when the time come. "Evie is innocent. He walks around with his feelings on his sleeves for everyone to see. Yet… he is a Slytherin so you know that there is more than what he shows. He has a history behind what he shows. He shows you a Gryffindor bravado with too much emotions, yet… he is manipulative and powerful and strong and demanding… he has me hooked. He got me hooked and all he has done was snarl at me. Was insult me." Voldemort opened his eyes as he mentally stored the amount of curses and hexes he would have to look up, before looking at Bellatrix staring back. "He got me hooked because he dared to speak back at me while knowing exactly who I was. Without being told he knew both my names, before his mother even introduced us with me using my Tom Riddle's face: He knew that Tom Riddle was Lord Voldemort before we were even introduced and still reprimanded me as a 7-year-old, because I didn't know that he was a male bearer.

"He hated me." He added the last line with a chuckle. "He hated me and that's why he got the Dark Lord at his feet."

(TBC)

Next: Under the Poker face's Mask

~Isys