~ Chapter Twenty-One ~

Every slow flick of the Daily Prophet had Ariel flinching. After the previous night, they had returned only for Severus to usher Ariel to bed with a few potions to keep his mind calm whilst sleeping. The Dark Lord hadn't spoken a word to Ariel since their triumph over the Order of the Phoenix. Tom sat at their breakfast table content with ignoring Ariel's presence.

Ariel knew this was punishment. He'd seen it many times before in the memories of those he had trapped. When people were upset or angry they had numerous ways of coping with the pain. One of them was to ignore the person until the person acknowledged something was wrong. There was only one problem with being on the receiving end: sometimes you needed to be told when you had done something wrong.

"I do not wish to intrude upon your mind, dear Tom, but if you don't explain why you are ignoring me I won't be gentle."

The paper settled upon the table.

"You overworked yourself during battle."

Confusion swept through Ariel. "You desired for me to select those who would welcome your reforms."

Red eyes narrowed upon his form. "Do not place this on me, Ariel. You should have told me you weren't well. You should have told me you were under strain."

There had been a lot of emotions crowding Ariel's mind the previous evening. Most of them had either been terror, exhilaration, or determination. He hadn't been able to focus on one person alone not even his own needs until it he'd reached breaking point. He'd been focused on winning and making certain the Dark Lord was pleased that he didn't care what had happened to him at the time.

"Your thoughts were on your victory. I didn't want to ruin the moment for you especially when you needed my help. You freed me and I offered you my support in this war. I intend to offer everything I can for the opportunity you gifted me."

Tom stood, moving towards Ariel. There was no fury in his eyes; instead, calm had settled over his form. An emotion Ariel couldn't quite recognize passed over Tom's features before the Dark Lord pulled Ariel into an embrace.

"Not at the cost of your life. I freed you to help me win this war but if you had died then winning this war wouldn't have been as satisfying."

Ariel allowed himself to be held. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around the Dark Lord's body, relishing in the warmth that surrounded him.

"You were worried for me." Ariel mumbled into Tom's robes. "There was no concern over any of your other Death Eaters last night or even right now."

"You will never be just one of me Death Eaters, Ariel."

Ariel smiled. He'd known that Tom would be different to the others that had sought him for his talents. The affection Tom had shown him hadn't stemmed for his talents but from pure affection. It wasn't something he had anticipated when approaching Tom for freedom but in this instance he desperately wanted more.

"I am sorry I caused you to worry." Ariel apologized.

Together, they moved from the breakfast room and into lounge. Ariel knew Tom likely had a lot of work to do this morning. They had defeated the Order of the Phoenix and with an unstable government a lot of work was needed to keep everything intact. However, Tom was choosing to spend the morning with Ariel. He felt an inner warmth spread through his body as they sat down together.

Tom pulled Ariel close. "What happened last night?"

"Being kept at the Ministry allowed me to peruse a steady flow of minds which all worked on a very numb level of emotion. The emotions of battle were far more pressing than what I was accustomed to. I felt overwhelmed with all the adrenaline-filled emotions within the castle. I didn't realize I had used so much energy throughout the battle."

Ariel leaned into Tom's arms.

"You aren't accustomed to being around vast quantities of people. I shouldn't have brought you into such a situation without trying to adjust you to large amounts of people."

"There is a difference between being in a sealed room and surrounded by people." Ariel agreed.

An owl tapped on the window causing Tom to grimace. He'd been enjoying these few moments spent with Ariel. To have them interrupted caused fury to sweep through his body. Yet Ariel nudged him up to let the owl in.

The letter held the Malfoy family seal. "It would seem that Lucius needs my assistance in the Ministry."

Ariel nodded. The Ministry would need a lot of work and since it was changing directions. It was only logical that Lucius would turn to his inspiration for the new government for help.

"Go and help. I know you have always desired to be part of the Ministry. Besides, I have something I need to finish." Ariel smiled.

With a knowing smirk, Tom pressed a kiss to Ariel's forehead before turning to the fireplace and disappearing into green flames.

x-x-x-x-x

Ariel found his brother rocking slowly back and forth in a corner. He looked pitiful. Christopher's mental body was reflecting his inner mental health. His hair was greasy and sticking to his head while his skin was pale and thin.

"Hello, brother."

Chris twitched. Ariel didn't bother to move closer.

"Our parents are dead." Chris spoke. His voice was small and scratchy.

"Lily Potter died during the Battle of Hogwarts. She was killed by Rabastan Lestrange. James Potter on the other hand survived the battle. However he was deemed too dangerous to accept the change in government. A Death Eater took charge of James Potter's death." Ariel confirmed.

Chris twitched again. His thoughts felt sluggish. No one could speak to him so why bother speaking… why bother thinking… why bother moving… Only Chris knew his brother stood nearby watching as he failed to do even the most basic of human movements. He felt pitiful, knowing he could pull together and interact with Ariel if he desired to. However, there was no motivation to do so.

There was no point in trying to appeal to Ariel. Everything about their family had been about revenge. With their parents dead and Chris trapped truly Ariel could do whatever he desired.

"The Dark Lord won, Christopher, there is no saving you." Ariel said.

Chris could hear the joy in his twin's voice. Ariel was pleased that the Dark Lord had accomplished everything he'd desired.

"Yet," Ariel continued, "while I could like nothing more than to let you rot in this prison the way that I did, watching as your body turns to nothing but skin and bone and every movement is pain, I won't."

The words caused Chris to snap his attention towards his brother. A glimmer of hope rose within.

"Don't think I do this out of my own good will or any affection towards you." Ariel snarled walking closer.

Chris shrunk against the wall. "Then why…"

Ariel's smile held tenderness as he knelt by his brother's side.

"When it comes to romantic partnerships, the Dark Lord prefers not to have any other suitors vying for attention. Even with you, out of the way as you are, he still feels you might tempt me."

Placing a hand against the wall, Ariel considered every interaction between himself and his brother.

"Truly, he needn't worry." Ariel mused. "I placed you here so I could watch as you suffered not because I was uncertain as to whether I wanted you dead. Your suffering meant more than your death. After all, our parents chose you over me. They could have protected us both but their stupidity in the face of dark uncertainty lead to this."

Chris reached forward touching Ariel's shoulder with barely a finger. "Does this mean you will free me?"

"I will return you to exactly where you belong."

x-x-x-x-x

The article in the Daily Prophet was on page fifteen the next morning. Ariel could see it was written with respect to both the end of a Light family and the desire to keep the Minister appeased. "Family Together for Final Rest", the title exclaimed with a few hundred mournful words and the singular image of three graves in Godric's Hollow.

Ariel hadn't been certain where to place them at first. Many of the Death Eaters had wanted the bodies of the Potter's left out and displayed for everyone. Lucius quickly squashed that desire. It wouldn't be a good image for the new Minister after all. Instead, Ariel had allowed Severus to select the location.

Of everyone Ariel knew, Severus was the most likely to treat the Potter's with respect upon burial. Though malice remained in Severus for James and Chris, he still cared for Lily. For Lily, Severus would do anything including laying to rest the family in a singular location. At least giving this job to Severus had appeased the sadness within the man as he mourned for a lost love.

"You have finally completed your revenge."

Ariel looked up as Tom entered the room. There was lightness to the man's step as he neared, as if a pressure weighing on him had been lifted. Leading the Death Eaters to victory and settling all loose ends seemed to be healthy for the man. It was healthy for Ariel as well.

"It is strange. I feel lighter now that I acknowledge they have lost. I feel settled with my family out fo the way."

Tom sits at the table beside him waiting for the House Elves to send them lunch.

"What will you do now? You have your freedom and enough money to travel anywhere in the world."

It was said with calm but Ariel could feel a tremor within Tom's mind. He didn't want to delve deeper to figure out what was wrong. Truthfully, he didn't need to. Ariel knew exactly what Tom was fearing.

Yet, Ariel couldn't help but think about what Tom suggested. Being the last Potter, even acknowledged only by blood, granted Ariel access to a well of information, money, and assets he didn't previously own. Yet none of that mattered in Ariel's eyes.

"I could travel anywhere in the world. Having the knowledge of Ministry doesn't mean I have the experiences to back them up. They certainly don't feel real." Ariel smiled. "However, there is only one way I would travel the world."

Ariel watched as Tom tensed before he replied. "What way would that be?"

Ariel stood moving behind Tom's chair to wrap his arms around Tom's shoulders. "I want to travel the world with you, dear Tom."

Tom's tension didn't ease with Ariel's words. Instead Tom seemed to consider his words as confirmation of Ariel's departure.

"I can't leave now." Tom replied.

Ariel smiled, placing a kiss on Tom's head.

"I know. You have responsibilities in the Wizarding World right now. You just defeated the Light. There are bound to be rebellions within either a few months or a few years and Lucius could use the help to settle into a new system of government. But in ten years, twenty, when the rebellions have eased, we could travel. We could take time off and venture into this world. You and I have eternity together and I'm not going to spend one moment without you."

Tom pulled Ariel around so they faced each other. Caressing Ariel's cheek, Tom smiled, tension easing. Ariel didn't plan to leave Tom behind. There was nothing, no one, in the world more important than the man before him and they would never be parted.

The End.

So this is the end. Finally finished it. Thanks for being patient while I work through everything. Next story I'm focusing on finishing is Individual.

~MidnightEmber