Okay, I know its been forever. But have faith! I'm writing again!

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Emphasized Speech: Blah/BLAH

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Chapter 9 Conversations with Death Eaters

Harry sighed quietly to himself as he and Voldemort walked down the hall. His father was a murdering psychopath. How was he supposed to deal with this? On the outside, he was all calm and accepting, but on the inside his emotions were still whirling about. Beside him Voldemort heaved a tired sigh and rubbed his temples.

"You need to learn occlumency as soon as possible. You're chaotic emotions are giving me a headache, child."

Harry bristled.

"Well I'm horribly sorry." He snapped before seeming to come to himself and realize who he was talking to. He cringed and ducked his head like he did when Uncle Vernon was about to hit him again. "I'm sorry sir!"

Voldemort stared down at him, red eyes wide in surprise.

"What is wrong with you? You don't have to…flinch like that. I'm not going to hurt you for words said at a moment when your emotions are such a mess. Merlin, do you really think I'd hurt a child? Do you truly think me that despicable?"

Harry shrugged and looked him in the eyes.

"I think you'll do whatever you want, regardless of how people feel about it." He said honestly.

Voldemort looked away.

"Yes…well…"

There was a long uncomfortable silence as nobody seemed to know what to say next. They suddenly took a sharp turn down revealing a dead end. At the end of the hall was a massive portrait of a dragon. It was metallic gray in color, with deep red eyes. As they drew closer, the dragon extended its wings, threw its head back and roared so loudly Harry actually had to cover his ears.

"Be silent!" Voldemort snarled. The dragon stopped roaring, hunched over and growled.

"What kind of dragon is that?" Harry asked, slightly stunned by the loud noise.

"Ukrainian Ironbelly." Was the almost distracted response, "Xerampelinae acies." He intoned. The portrait swung open, revealing part of a bustling kitchen. He gestured to the entrance. "He will escort you when it is necessary. Enjoy your breakfast, my child."

Harry walked into the kitchen almost hesitantly and the portrait swung shut behind him. The kitchen itself was both massive and beautiful. The floor was white polished marble to match the counter tops, with large cherry wood cabinets everywhere.

There were easily three times as many house elves as there were in Hogwarts, each popping in at random for one reason or another and all clad in black or green. Young elves scampered about, cleaning things at random and there were even infants in slings, clinging to their mother's side. Harry tried to push his way through the short crowd, trying not to hurt anyone. He made his way to one end of kitchen which had a table that could easily fit eighteen people. Seated at the end, smiling brightly, was Sirius.

"Hey Sirius." Harry said, returning the smile automatically. It faded immediately, however, as the truth caught up with him again. He wasn't the son of James and Lily. He didn't even look like them anymore. Why would Sirius still care about him?

Sirius stood suddenly and grabbed him in a tight hug.

"It doesn't matter you know, who your birth parents are." He murmured into his hair. He let him go to stare deeply into Harrys eyes. "You're still you. That hasn't changed. And I still care about you, no matter what. I promise." He paused, "I love you. Don't ever doubt that." He flushed and pulled away, patting Harry on the head, "And don't worry, okay? Whatever happens now was meant to happen."

Harrys sat down and his head hit the table with a loud 'thunk'.

"Sirius, my dads a crazy murderer! How can you tell me not to worry?"

Sirius shrugged.

"You'll just have to figure that out for yourself. But I can tell you it's not nearly as bad as you think."

Their conversation was suddenly interrupted by one of the house elves. The house elf was clad in what looked like a clean, silky, green toga, with a silver pin of a serpent on the shoulder. Violet eyes blinked up at him.

"Is young Master wanting foods now? Tiffy can make foods for young Master and young Masters scraggly friend. Tiffy is good cook! Best cook! That's why Master is making Tiffy head of kitchen! What is yous wanting?"

Sirius bristled.

"Hey! I'm not 'scraggly'!"

Harry lifted his head and laughed quietly.

"Well you still don't look that great, Sirius. Your face could use a shave and your hair could be cut. And you're still way too thin."

Sirus huffed.

"Yeah well I haven't been out of Azkaban that long and I spent at least a while in suspended animation. Not the best opportunities to work on your appearance."

Harry turned to the house elf.

"Um…can you make pancakes and bacon?"

Tiffy nodded her head rapidly, bat like ears flopping.

"Easy! And for young Masters scraggly friend?"

"The same." Sirius grumbled.

"Thanks, Tiffy." Harry said, smiling politely.

Tiffy squeaked, looking embarrassed and ran back into the mess of house elves barking a few orders and there was a flurry of activity. A section of the house elves broke off and soon the smell of cooking meat drifted over to him. Thandos lifted his head from where he had wrapped himself in Harrys new robes.

"I am hungry, lightning child. I believe I was promised a mouse."

Harry chuckled.

"So you were. My apologies." He turned his attention to the busy house elves. "Um…Tiffy?" He called, having spotted what he thought was the familiar house elf at the other side of the kitchen. Tiffy appeared in front of him with a soft pop.

"Young Master called for Tiffy?"

"Yes. I was just wondering if I could have a mouse for Thanados." He gestured to the serpent, who had moved to drape across his shoulders.

Tiffys eyes widened.

"Y-yes." She squeaked, looking at the snake fearfully. "Master is giving Tiffy special mousies for young Masters snakey. Is young Master wanting Tiffy to feed his snakey?" She seemed terrified of the idea.

Harry blinked.

"No, no." Harry hastened to assure her, "If you give me the mice, I'll make sure he eats. Thank you though."

Tiffy vanished immediately, reappearing only a second later with a small glass box. She held up the box, revealing three large white mice.

"Young Masters mousies…"

Harry made sure to smile gratefully.

"Thanks! I know Thanados appreciates it."

The house elf squeaked and vanished once again.

He examined the box and found a flap on one end. He tilted the box and opened the flap.

"Can you eat three mice?" He asked his companion.

"That's a ridiculous question. Of course I can!" Thanados exclaimed, sounding offended.

Harry laughed.

"Relax, I was just asking." He dangled the first of the mice by the tail and Thanados opened his mouth wide in preparation to swallow it. Large fangs gleamed in a mouth as equally black as his scales. He swallowed it greedily. He repeated the gesture with the remaining mice before he turned his attention to Sirius, who looked a little green.

"Problem?" He teased, a smirk threatening to split his attempt to look innocent.

Sirius shuddered and swallowed thickly.

"Nope." He said in a strained voice, "Not at all." He was saved from further humiliating himself by the arrival of platters off food. House elves set several large platters down. One was stacked with thick fluffy pancakes, another with crispy strips of bacon and another with at least twenty pitchers with different syrups. The last platter was smaller and contained potion vials. Those Harry looked at with suspicion.

"Master is saying young Master should take his icky potions, but he is understanding if young Master doesn't." Tiffy said.

Harry chose to ignore the potions as an empty plate and utensils where presented before him. He fed Thanados the remaining mice, letting the serpent settle in a comfortable position across his shoulders to digest his food. He grabbed several pancakes and dug in with gusto. After swallowing a few bites and realizing Tiffy was still there he stopped eating and gave her a genuine smile.

"This is delicious. Thank you so much."

Tiffy ducked her head shyly.

"Young Master is very kind to say so!" She squeaked, before vanishing into the mob of her fellows.

"Are their a lot of Death Eaters here?" Harry asked quietly.

Sirius looked up from his own food.

"What makes you say that?"

"The kitchens wouldn't be this busy if it was just you me and Voldemort."

Sirius sighed.

"Yeah. A lot of them have come here for one thing or another today but there are quite a few that have to live here since they can't use their own ancestral homes. That's mostly the Inner Circle. Of course, some just chose to be here in an attempt to get closer to him."

Harry nodded and went back to his breakfast. When he was full he pushed his plate aside and waited patiently for Sirius to be done. He stopped immediately when he noticed Harry had finished.

"You don't have to stop on my account." Harry assured him.

Sirius shook his head.

"Its fine. Come on, I'm supposed to take you to the grand meeting room now anyway."

The two stood and Sirius began to lead the way through the maze. They finally stopped at a simple oak door. Sirius shifted into his grim form and nudge Harrys hand, gesturing for him to open the door.

"Alright, alright. I get it." He opened the door and stepped inside, Sirius trotting in behind him.

He blinked at the strangeness of the room. Instead of the green and black he'd been seeing so far, the room was done in deep blues and silver. The room itself held a comfortable aura, possessing no noticeable menace as the throne room had, or the bone piercing sense of sorrow associated with the red room. The carpet was thick and soft beneath his feet, and there were over a dozen plush, velvet covered chairs in circle and facing the center of the room. Where wood should have been on the furniture, however, was replaced with a silver looking metal. And in the very center of the room, was a startling sight. A column of purple flames rose from the floor to the cealing, giving off a heat and yet seeming to burn nothing.

"Do you like the room?" A soft voice called out. "It was your mother's favorite place to drink tea and talk with friends."

Harrys eyes jumped to one of the chairs to see a woman standing there. She stood, making the motion itself look elegant and graceful. She had long golden-blonde hair and her eyes were an icy blue. She had high cheek bones, a delicate chin and a swan like neck. Her skin looked soft and clear. She was dressed in a maroon dress with long draping sleeves and a tight black corset. He recognized her instantly from the memories Voldemort had showed him and her strong resemblance to her son and husband.

"Mrs. Malfoy." He greeted with a polite nod.

Narcissa smiled gently. There was a softness in her gaze that became more prominent the longer she looked at him. She waved her hand.

"No need to be so formal, dear. Your mother and I were quite close. You can call me Narcissa."

Harry flushed, feeling awkward.

"So you knew…Elizabeth well?"

"Oh yes. As I said, we were quite close. She was like a sister, almost. And you…you poor thing…" She trailed off for a moment, "Well we've all been clamoring to meet you since we heard about your sudden return. But I got to meet you first, of course."

"Why's that? Tortured enough people to get on Voldemorts good side?" Harry asked, his sarcasm biting.

He received an unimpressed glare.

"While you probably deserve to be a bit bitter towards your father, I do not appreciate the suggestion that I tortured or killed anyone." She snapped back, voice equally biting. "I am a healer of one of the highest sorts. I have devoted my life to studying various branches of healing magicks. Do not insult me by suggesting otherwise."

Harry slumped, deflating.

"Sorry. I'm just…a bit confused right now. I mean, what would you think if the person who'd been trying to kill you and your friends suddenly turned out to be your dad? And its not just that even! How can I accept him at all? He's a mad man! He wants to kill all the muggleborns and muggles alike!"

Narcissa smiled indulgently.

"Ah, child, you have no idea of the Dark Lords true goals. Come and sit and I'll explain everything to you that I can before the others arrive."

Harry chose a random chair, looking wary.

"Who are 'the others'?"

"The rest of the Inner Circle of course. We all knew your mother well and even you when you were little. In fact Bellatrix and I were named your Godmothers and Lucius and Severus your Godfathers. Each four because your mother and father each picked two because they couldn't agree on who to pick." She sighed and sat down next to him, "But I'll save all that for another time. First, to the Dark Lords ideals. You met him first when he was but a soul without his own body, correct? After he had spent ten years as such, possessing animals to stay alive? And then again, after he had spent years a spirit and only just regained a body? I am sad to say that his mind was damaged. And then he freed those of his followers who had been imprisoned in Azkaban. Spending time in the company of those who were also slightly insane did not help his sanity in the slightest. But I'm afraid the problem started before his near death experience." She paused there to let him interject if he wanted.

Harry listened, quietly processing.

"I guess that could make anyone snap a bit. But it's still not making sense. Everyone knows of his vicious ideals from when he murdered people in the first war."

"Yes." Narcissa agreed. "Before he became mad, he sought to severe the ties between muggle and magical in terms of mixing magical and muggle blood. Any muggleborns would be adopted into magical families rather then allowed to stay with a family that wouldn't understand them. And he was even on his way to convincing purebloods to allow anyone of magical blood to marry into their families. I'm sad to say that, while families like the Malfoys and the Blacks still hold strong magic it is only due to the addition of creature blood periodically throughout the generations. If we hadn't done that, we would create numerous squibs until the line eventually stopped being able to produce heirs with magic at all. Of course, he also wanted a position of great power as a world leader. The Dark Lord was clever and charming and knew how to inspire many. He would have had the world at his feet. Until one thing happened…" She trailed off dramatically.

"What?" Harry asked, almost impatiently.

"He lost his wife and son. He spiraled after that. He lost his ideals. He only wanted people to suffer. And so suffer they did. Even we, his most loyal, suffered." She smiled then. "But there's good news now."

"Yeah, yeah." Harry grumbled, "I'm back, I get it."

"Well, yes but that's not what I was talking about. Severus and I finally managed to convince him to see a mind healer after he possessed you in the Department of Mysteries and found several disturbing spells had been placed on you. He managed to figure it out from there, you see. Its how he learned you were his son. He removed the spells from you as best he could at the time and then later used a simple point me charm. When it worked, his joy managed to pierce the madness. So, with the help of the best potions master in this century, the three best mind healers we could find and myself we managed to begin to heal his mind. It seems he was suffering from two separate curses, one specifically designed to target his mind. But now he has remembered his original goals again! The world will come to order beneath him, rather then burn in flames. And Bella and the others are also healing. Sirius and Bella even managed to make amends."

"So he's not crazy anymore, just evil." Harry scoffed. "Great."

"Wrong. You are foolish to think so. Shall I explain what else the Dark Lord plans to do for the Wizarding World?"

"Sure." Harry drawled. "Amaze me."

"Very well. How about creature equality? He intends to give equality to all magical creatures capable of speech. And he wants to see that every child receives a proper and well rounded education, not the censored tripe at Hogwarts. That includes the Dark Arts, yes. But that also includes learning about magic from a very young age, rather then leaving it to the parents. That means wizarding preschools and elementary schools. He has ideas about expanding the magical hospitals fields of research. And he has ideas about creating more wizarding villages built in an area expansion charm to allow more houses to be built. He has ideas on how to increase the amount of jobs available. There's so many ideas he has for the world, I could go on forever. Is that enough to satisfy you? Or must I continue?"

Harry felt slightly cowed. At the very least, Voldemort knew how to create loyal sycophants.

"That proves he's good at making promises." He argued.

Narcissa smiled brightly.

"Actually, Lucius will be making the first of the moves towards the creation of an orphanage in London."

Harrys eyebrows rose into his hair.

"How is your husband not in jail?"

Narcissa laughed faintly.

"A solid alibi, of course. He was at a party for certain ministry members. He even has witnesses that consist of people that are known to dislike him. The man seen at the Ministry was clearly nothing more then an imposter, attempting to slander his good name."

Harry snorted.

"Someone with Polyjuice, I'm guessing?"

Narcissa inclined her head in confirmation.

"Regardless, you'll have to see what comes up in the Prophet in the next few days. It's certain to make front page."

Harry ran a hand through his hair.

"So…you said Bella-bitch and Sirius actually made up?" He remembered his godfather and looked down at the massive dog who was lying beside his chair.

Sirius looked at him and nodded his head before setting his head back down and closing his eyes as if to take a nap.

"Honestly Sirius." Narcissa chastised. "Stop sleeping, get up and sit in a chair. Talk to your…godson. Explain it. Come on now. Up!" She waved her wand which sparked threateningly at him.

Sirius jumped up, shifted form and scrambled into a chair.

"Sorry!" He cringed. "No need to threaten like that!"

Narcissa ran a hand over her perfect hair to smooth away invisible stray hairs before fixing a glare on Harry.

"And don't you dare insult my sister again Luther Orion Riddle." She snapped.

Harry shrunk in his seat at the force of her glare.

"Yes mame…" He all but squeaked.

Sirius sighed and scratched his head.

"So what's the problem? You think he's evil? Is that it?"

"That's part of it." Harry defended.

Sirius nodded.

"Right. I should explain Dark magic, shouldn't I Cissy?"

"That would probably help. He certainly won't believe anything I say."

Sirius nodded and focused on Harry intently.

"Alright, a little history for you first. Before the Merlin and Morgana, there was no such thing as Light and Dark magic. And when animosities between the two grew to a certain point, Morgana became known as the 'evil' one. And the magic she favored and used readily became classified as Dark."

"So what? Dark magic is evil!" Harry insisted.

Sirius scowled.

"That's not true though. Not all Dark magic has dark intent. There is Light magic that can kill, and Dark magic that can save a life. In truth, Dark magic should never have been rejected. But it was, partially because it requires us to give into our emotions to fuel it. People can lose control if their not careful. Did you know that, technically speaking, the Patronus charm is actually Dark? Its why its not taught in Hogwarts, the Ministry doesn't want people knowing it. But because it is well known that it comes from such a positive emotion, they can't fully justify making it illegal."

Harry sputtered.

"The Patronus is Dark magic?" He exclaimed.

"Settle down." Sirius soothed, "Yes, it's Dark. Now, this is not to say that Dark magic is not dangerous. There are certainly more harmful spells then healing when it comes to Dark magic. And of course, Light magic has its own uses. Narcissa here is an expert at balancing Dark and Light magic healing techniques. It's what makes her one of the best. This is one of the reasons I'm here, because I agree in the balance and the ridiculousness of trying to reject Dark magic any longer. It took me awhile to get past the hatred of my family to remember what it was they tried to teach me, but I have. Do you understand? He's not really evil for using Dark magic, he's just going against what the Ministry has excepted."

Harrys jaw dropped at that.

"You're defending him! And his ideals! He killed your best friend!"

"You don't think that Dumbledore and the Ministry don't kill Death Eaters every chance they get? Some of them have families! With children! Little children! But this is a war. People get hurt, and people die. Good people, sometimes innocent people. But James and Lily knew the risks. They fought to their last breath for what they believed in. And I will never forget that. Its why I'm here, to fight for what I believe in. I believe the world needs to change. And the Dark Lord can make that change happen. Better then Dumbledore can. You have no idea what that mans done. To me, to you and the rest of the world."

"So you'll support a man who seems only interested in murder?" Harry hissed, "To what end? The world doesn't NEED a ruler!"

Sirius narrowed his eyes.

"I believe that, in the end, he will do what is necessary to save our world from crumbling. Because it's falling down around our ears, Harry. You just don't know it yet. Dumbledore kept you from seeing that. He kept me blinded for the longest time. You have no idea the things Dumbledore's done, Harry. And the things he is letting happen! Do you think all of his fancy titles are for show? He has power in the Ministry yet does nothing to help people! What about the werewolves? Not once has Dumbledore mentioned equal rights for them! Did you know the Leprechauns finally stepped up and asked for rights of their own? And the Ministry denied them! Again, Dumbledore stood idly by!"

"You know Dumbledore is a modest man!" Harry defended, "He probably wants to leave the Ministry free of his influence. He doesn't want power."

"Those with power have a responsibility to use it! And what about what he's done to you, Harry. Can't you see how you've been manipulated? Why would Dumbledore move the Sorcerers Stone to Hogwarts when it had been safe for centuries? And then, allow it to be hidden behind protections mere first years could get through! And then what about your second year? How is it, that only three second year students could figure out what was in the Chamber and where it was? He's been manipulating you from the very beginning! Who do you think placed you with the Durselys?"

Harry recoiled. He didn't like thinking about his relatives.

"I'm sure Dumbledore didn't know…" He said meekly.

"Wrong!" Sirius all but roared. He was practically frothing at the mouth now. "There are all kinds of monitoring charms placed on that bloody house! He knew exactly what was going on and did NOTHING! And when I get my hands on him I'm going to SQUEEZE HIS STUPID NECK UNTIL HIS EYES BLEED!" He was actually frothing now, like a vicious dog.

"SIRIUS! ENOUGH!" Narcissa snapped. She shoved a potion into his hands. "Drink it." She ordered, her tone leaving no room for argument.

Sirius snapped out of his rage and downed the potion quickly. He closed his eyes and his shoulders sagged.

"Sorry. I still can't control myself sometimes."

"W-what?" Harry managed, still stunned by Sirius' display of rage.

"Bella isn't the only one seeing a mind healer. The lack of emotional control is a byproduct of being in Azkaban. I'm just glad Narcissa keeps calming draughts on hand at all times. Back to Dumbledore. Did you know that he could have prevented me from going to Azkaban at any time? Or at least made sure I had a proper trial? But he didn't. And you know what else? I found out he knew I was innocent the whole time." His shoulders shook, "He knew Peter was the traitor but he left me in Azkaban to rot…" He took a deep breath.

Anything he'd been about to say was interrupted by people flooding into the room. Harry stiffened at the faces he recognized from his dreams and their pictures having been in the Daily Prophet after their Azkaban break out. Some of them wore hooded cloaks that hid there faces.

Bellatrix was dressed in a black mirror of her sister. She was not at all like he had seen her in the Department of Mysteries. Where once Azkaban had obviously drained her of life, destroying what had once been a great beauty, there were no signs of it now. Thick shining dark hair hung around her face. Long lashes and heavily hooded eyes scanned the room. A wide smile graced red lips. She was as dark as Narcissa was fair, though there was no mistaking the fact that they were sisters. With a squeal she charged Harry, wrapping him in a hug so tight he felt his ribs give.

There was more but I decided to cut this chapter here and continue in the next chapter. Hope you like it! Remember, enough reviews and Elizabeth lives!