KEY:

/mental voice/

\twin bond\

~Parseltongue~

Mental and audible voice

A/N: This story was edited on 7/3/2014. It has come to my attention that my scene breaks (which were asterisks) were deleted by FFnet. I've put in different ones, and hopefully these will stay.

Albus Dumbledore paced his office. The portraits followed him with their eyes, each of them straining to hear what he was muttering to himself. One of them had even taken out an ear trumpet.

"…gone…wards, how did he…disappeared from the Platform…"

The subject of Albus's distress was a missing fifteen-year-old boy. The boy had last been seen on the train home from Hogwarts, but had disappeared by the time the train had reached Platform 9 ¾. That had been in early June. It was now nearly July.

Losing the boy put Albus in rather a bind, since the boy had been groomed since the age of eleven to serve the illustrious Headmaster. The boy was the perfect weapon, and Albus needed him back under his control.

The boy was Harry Potter.

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Just beyond Unst, the furthest outreach of the Shetland Islands, past the Muckle Flugga lighthouse, the sea batters against a large chunk of bare rock that juts out of the sea. No plants grow on it, as it was constantly buffeted by winds, rain, and waves. To most people, there is no exciting feature of the Out Stack.

Most people would be wrong.

On the large rock, where most people only saw the occasional puffin, stood a small, circular stone hut. If most people could see the hut, no doubt it would become a local curiosity. The hut had no door, but the smoke rising from the chimney in the center of the cone-like roof gave evidence that someone did indeed live there.

The hut belonged to a boy with dark hair and an even darker soul.

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Lord Voldemort swept into his study, frustrated with the low quality of his followers. Some of them were moderately powerful, but they were all so self-serving! They reminded him of a bunch of puppies, climbing over each other just to be petted a little by their master.

And they had no real loyalty to him! He knew that, if he were to fall the next day, most of them would rush to make excuses to the Ministry about being forced to support him.

Lord Voldemort needed better followers. But he would settle for what he had.

The Dark Lord flopped into his chair in a surprisingly ungraceful movement. He could be casual when his little minions weren't watching, after all. He propped his head against one hand and began to sort through his papers with the other. All of them were dull, boring, tedious. Just as he was about to be done, finally, he found an envelope addressed to him.

Tom Marvolo Riddle

The Dark Lord Voldemort

Curious and angry that someone would dare address him by the Muggle name he had work for so many years to change, he opened it. Inside was another envelope, addressed to Lucius Malfoy, and a short note.

Lord Voldemort,

I wish to ally with you. I will not reveal my identity to you in a letter, as there is a possibility it may fall into the hands of the Light. However, I will say that I am very powerful, possibly as powerful as you and certainly stronger than Albus Dumbledore, and have very…unique skills that I would be happy to offer to your cause. I find boasting vulgar and distasteful, so you may be assured that I speak the truth about my power.

I understand that you will be wary of meeting someone who will not reveal his identity. Indeed, I would be disappointed if you were not. Therefore, I believe it would be best for me to meet one of your followers first, instead of meeting directly with you.

Included is a letter for Lucius Malfoy. It will open for no one else. It contains Apparition coordinates and a time and date for a meeting. The coordinates are charmed so that only Lord Malfoy may see them, as my location is under a strong Fidelius Charm. If Lord Malfoy will meet with me, I will send him back to you with a sign of my trustworthiness and willingness to serve you. I hope to see him at the specified date.

Sincerely,

The Bone Man

Everything about the note was strange. Somewhere there was a strange, unknown, and very powerful Dark wizard willing to serve him. He had never heard of a Bone Man, but it was clearly an alias. This man went to a great deal of trouble to stay anonymous.

And the letter was written in Parseltongue.

"Lucius!"

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Lucius Malfoy was afraid.

As a rule, Malfoys did not admit to fear. However, any rule can be broken in exceptional circumstances.

These were certainly exceptional circumstances.

His Lord had been contacted by a mysterious and powerful supporter who would only meet with him. It certainly didn't make it easier that the man would only meet with him at midnight on the night of the new moon. With five minutes until midnight, Lucius apparated to the coordinates he had been given.

He appeared on a rock rising from the sea, immediately chilled to the bone by the wind and spray. Before him was a little, round hut with no door.

'At least he's consistently mysterious,' Lucius thought to himself. Unable to find a clear way in, he placed his palm on the wall of the hut. An invisible force pulled him through the stone wall.

Inside, a low fire was burning, filling the interior with a smoky warmth that was welcome after the frigid wind outside. Opposite him sat a figure shrouded in a black robe, hands tucked into sleeves. A hood and cowl obscured the figure's face.

Immediately, Lucius felt a pressure on his mind. Frantically, he threw up his strongest Occlumency shields. A sense of amusement came from the invading force as it swept away his barriers and settled across his mind like a thick blanket. Unlike any Legilimency he had ever felt, it did not search through his thoughts or memories, but merely asserted its presence in his mindscape.

/Welcome, Lord Malfoy. Please, sit and warm yourself./

The thought-voice was masculine, and the tone conveyed that the speaker made a demand, not a request. Lucius sat. He wondered how to speak with this wizard. He had no impression that he was listening to his thoughts, so Lucius decided to speak aloud.

"I take it I am addressing the Bone Man." The shrouded head inclined once.

/Indeed, you are. Thank you for agreeing to meet with me. Has your Lord sent you with questions?/

"Of course. The Dark Lord is very curious about how such a supposedly powerful Dark wizard escaped his notice. He also wishes to know more about your specific powers, the ones you seem to believe are 'unique.'"

The Bone Man's mental presence was amused again. It seemed Lucius had stumbled upon a private joke.

/I spoke the truth. I have yet to meet someone as strong as I am. Will you really doubt my power while I am in your mind? You are no weak Occlumens, and yet, here I am./

Lucius inclined his head in apology. It was true. With the Bone Man in his mind, he could feel the strength and darkness of his magic. He had never felt anything like it, and the blond man suspected it was only a fraction of the Bone Man's full power. They would gain the upper hand in the war very quickly if this man would join his Lord.

"My apologies. What of your particular skills?"

/I know you are looking for a demonstration, Lord Malfoy, but I'm afraid I can't do that. I believe Lord Voldemort would like his trusted follower back in one piece./ Lucius frowned. /However, tell your Lord that I am…a bit of a specialist with souls. I trained under the Dementors of Azkaban, before they joined him. If you give him this, I believe it will serve as proof of my skills./

The figure did not move, but the stone next to him began to boil. Out rose a small box made of a dark wood. The box floated gently to the Death Eater. It felt hollow, but appeared seamless, as though made of a single block of wood.

/Tell your Lord that it will only respond to Parseltongue. Inside is the sign I promised him. If he wishes to reply to my letter, he need only tell the box to return to me. I'm afraid owls cannot find me here./

"I will tell him. Can I not convince you to tell me your name?"

/I am the Bone Man. That is the name I prefer, not the name I was born with. Your Lord will understand. Safe travels, Lord Malfoy./

The dismissal in the statement was clear. Lucius felt the presence withdraw from his mindscape. It left him feeling oddly cold and exposed, like having a warm blanket taken away in the middle of the night. He rose and bowed. The Bone Man bowed his shrouded head in return.

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"You can tell me nothing more, Lucius?"

"No, my Lord."

Lord Voldemort was determined to have the Dark wizard as his follower. From the blond Death Eater's report and his memories of the meeting, this Bone Man was like no one the world had ever seen. Not even the Dark Lord, with all his knowledge and research, had heard of the Dementors taking a wizard as an apprentice. He truly was unique. Voldemort dismissed the elder Malfoy, turning his attention to the box he had brought back from his trip to the North Sea.

~Open,~ he hissed. With a green light similar to the Killing Curse, the wood split and the lid flipped back, revealing its contents: a letter, addressed in the same manner as the first, and a pendant on a long silver chain.

The pendant was made of a light-weight white substance that, after a moment, he realized was bone. It was shaped like a lightning bold and carved all over with tiny runes. It was not until he touched it that the Dark Lord realized it was a Horcrux.

His Horcrux.

Angrily, Voldemort ripped open the letter, again written in Parseltongue, searching for an explanation. How could this unknown man know about his Horcruxes?! They were his greatest secret!

Lord Voldemort,

I am sure you are searching for answers now. How did the pendant come to be one of your Horcruxes? Why do you have no memory of making it?

The pendant is not the original container, but it is a better one. It is not one of the soul pieces you are thinking of, either. This one was created accidentally when the Killing Curse was reflected at you on the night you attempted to kill Harry Potter. This fragment broke off and attached itself to Harry Potter himself. It was the cause of the singular connection you two shared. My training with the Dementors allowed me to locate this soul fragment and place it in the pendant.

Do not ask how I know about you and Harry Potter. I will give you no answers.

If you will accept me as an ally, I will meet with you at midnight on the next new moon at your residence at Malfoy Manor. To respond, place your letter to me in the box and ask it to return to me. Remember, it will only respond to Parseltongue.

Sincerely,

The Bone Man

PS- I have strengthened the Horcrux with life-force I took while with the Dementors

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Voldemort paced his private sitting room at Malfoy Manor. It was five minutes to midnight on the night of the new moon. He was anxious about the arrival of the Bone Man and trying to distract himself by think about Potter.

The boy had vanished from the Hogwarts Express almost two months ago. The Light was claiming he had been taken by Death Eaters. With no sign of their Savior, most of the wizarding world was in mourning. The Dark was celebrating, albeit very quietly.

Voldemort, however, was puzzled. He knew none of his people had captured or killed the boy. If Potter had gone into hiding, he was very good at it. Albus Dumbledore was not the only one to search for the boy, but neither he nor Voldemort had found the boy.

The whole situation was exceedingly strange.

Then there was this man, the Bone Man, who had rescued his Horcrux from Potter himself! Did this wizard know where Potter was?

The Dark Lord was shaken out of his thoughts by the clock on the mantle tolling twelve and the silent arrival of the Bone Man himself.

He wore the same black robe as with Lucius. He stood before Voldemort with his hands tucked into his sleeves, bowed head hooded and cowled. Voldemort felt the same presence meet his mind as Lucius had describe. Determined to foil this strange wizard and prove his own strength, his put up his strongest Occlumency shields. Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape together could not have broken them.

The Bone Man swept them aside.

/An admirable attempt, Lord Voldemort, but the Bone Man does not speak aloud. Good evening./

Voldemort now understood what Lucius had meant. The Bone Man's presence was not searching. It was not invasive or painful. His mind settled over the Dark Lord's like the softest and lightest of blankets. It was warm and soothing. He almost didn't want it to leave his mind.

"Bone Man, it is good to meet you at last. You made quite the impression on Lucius." The thought-voice chuckled with dark amusement.

/The impression would have been even greater had he known my true identity. That would shock even you./

Voldemort sighed. The Bone Man seemed determine to drive him to insanity with curiosity.

"You keep a great many secrets, Bone Man. Now, I believe you wished to speak about joining my cause?"

/I wish to speak about an alliance, yes. I could be a great asset to the Dark, but I will only do it on my terms. I will not be one of your Marked servants. None of your Death Eaters could hope to be my equal, and I will not lower myself to their level./

"Of course. I can make you second only to myself, if you prove to be worthy." Voldemort would not accept this unknown man without a demonstration of his power.

/I also want command of the Dementors. Those at Azkaban already considered me their Wizard-Lord. They will accept me easily and offer true loyalty to me./

Voldemort frowned, thoughtful. Command of the Dementors was a big demand. If they would be loyal to the Bone Man over him, there was no way to keep them if he should turn against their side. He would need a lot in return.

"What can you offer me?"

/I offer my loyalty. Unlike most of your followers, I will not turn away from you to save myself. I am Dark, and I will always be Dark. Of course, I also offer my power and skill with souls./

"I will not accept you unless you tell me your name and show me this 'power' you say you have."

/If you have a prisoner in your dungeon, I can give you a demonstration tonight. My name, however…I will tell only you the name I was born with, and you must swear to keep it secret. I have renounced that name. I wish to be called Gallus Hadrian Black now. I am Lord Black./

Voldemort made the oath quickly, eager to know who this powerful man was. As he spoke the binding words, the Bone Man reached up and slowly lowered his hood.

The first thing Voldemort noticed was his age. He was young, young enough to still be in school. He was pale and had dark hair cropped close to his head, almost shaved. His eyes were piercing and intense, the eerie color of the Killing Curse. A faint glow, the same color, seemed to come from his skin. There was a distinctive scar on his forehead that was a faded silvery color.

Lord Voldemort had found Harry Potter.

-0- -0-

Harry smirked at the feeling of shock filling Lord Voldemort's mind.

/Am I a surprise, Tom?/

"Potter…?"

/Yes. Congratulations, you just found Harry Potter. Will you accept him at your side now?/

Shock was mixing with confusion in the Dark Lord's mind. He needed to move on to his little show before Voldemort got too side-tracked with dull questions about where he had been and when he had turned Dark and all.

/You wanted a demonstration, I believe? If you will fetch your prisoner, I will meet you in the rose garden./ Not allowing the older man time to respond, Harry replaced his hood and left the room on silent feet.

The night air was crisp and the sky clear. It was dark without the light of the moon, but those were the nights Harry liked most. Searching out the rose garden, he found an open space perfect for his needs. Throwing aside his robe, he stood barefoot and naked except for a pair of tailored trousers hemmed at his knees. When he felt Voldemort's approach with a prisoner, he began to prepare his magic.

Bone Man was not a name he chose by coincidence. He had spent the first week of summer doing a very dangerous ritual. As a result, thousands of tiny runes were inscribed directly onto his bones, from his skull and spine to the tarsals in his feet and the tiny bones in his ears. When he fed his power into the runes, the glowed through his skin with an Avada Kedavra green colour. His eyes glowed even brighter, but his pupils expanded until the colour was only a thin ring. At his full power, he looked like a glowing green skeleton made of tiny runic spells.

Bone Man indeed.

Keeping some of his presence in Voldemort's mind, Harry turned to the woman he had been brought. Easing his way into her mind, he changed the feeling he gave her. This was a trick the Dementors had taught him. Unlike the creatures, he did not actually feed on her happiness, but the feeling she got was the same.

As she began to shake and cry, Harry turned the happiness he pulled from her into pure energy, storing it away in his core. When the good emotions ran out, Harry instead pulled the magical energy straight from her core into his. He decided he should probably tell Voldemort what he was doing, since most of it wasn't visible.

/The effect in her mind is the same as being surrounded by Dementors. I can pull the happiness from her. When that runs out, I can empty her core. Then, out comes her soul./ As he spoke, the two watched the tiny ball of light that was her soul emerge into the night air and drift toward Harry.

"What do you do with the soul?" Curiosity and amazement were drifting in waves through the Dark Lord's mind. Harry turned and gave him a grin.

/I turn it all into pure energy. I'll even give this one to you, just to show you I'm serious about joining you./

Harry pulled the witches soul into his core, converting it into pure magic, before forcing it through his mental presence and into Voldemort's core. He saw the older man shudder at the sensation of a sudden burst of energy and power. The feeling was like coffee and steroids combined, but so much better.

/The very last thing is my signature. How else will they know the Bone Man came? Besides, she's not dead yet, just a shell./

Holding out a hand, the Bone Man summoned the witch's skeleton, phasing it through her body and leaving the rest of it untouched. He flicked his wrist and the bones piled themselves beside her head, skull grinning emptily on top of the mound. Then, he watched calmly for a moment while her body caved in on itself, smothering her organs and causing catastrophic failure before she suffocated from a collapsed airway.

/What do you think, my Lord?/

-0- -0-

Voldemort was glad none of his followers were there to see his reaction. Shock was a very unbecoming look on his face.

Potter, only fifteen years old, had more power and specialized knowledge than he, the Dark Lord Voldemort, could ever hope to. He killed easily, like he was stepping on a spider. He could take souls out of people, and then he pulled out their skeletons. No, he hadn't been lying about his strength. He could turn souls into energy and steal from other people's cores, for Merlin's sake, his power never ended!

All that was left from Potter's little 'demonstration' was a pile of clean bones, a body that looked rubbery and deflated without its rigid frame, and a lot of magical energy split between the two of them.

"Perhaps I should call you my Lord," he whispered, still staring at what was once Emmeline Vance and now resembled a Muggle rubber chicken.

The Bone Man laughed, and the sound of it echoed in Voldemort's mind, rich and warm, bringing an involuntary smile to the man's lips.

"Yes, Potter, I accept your alliance and your terms, unconditionally. I won't give you the Dark Mark and you can have full control of the Dementors. In fact, I want you to be my partner, my equal or my general. Whispers of the Bone Man will drive fear deep into the hearts of the Light. Please, will you join me?" The boy laughed again at his eagerness and pleading tone.

/Of course, my Lord, but no one can know my name for now. Harry Potter ended when he disappeared from the Hogwarts Express. Lord Hadrian Black came into being at the same moment. Until I see fit, Harry Potter will not exist again.

It would probably be best to introduce me as your ally at first. Your most trusted should meet me as soon as possible, and as Lord Black, but I want the masses to know me only as the Bone Man. That way I stay mysterious. The less the Light believes I exist, the better. It will only make what I can do more frightening./

Of course. Keeping an aura of the unknown around himself would make the Bone Man even more fearful. Whispered tales that sound like wild exaggeration would sow terror much faster than factual reports and the element of humanity found in a man's name. The Bone Man would get a better reaction than Lord Hadrian Black.

"Yes, of course. The Inner Circle shall meet Lord Black tomorrow, but the lower ranks will only meet the Bone Man. Let me show you your rooms. We will talk more after breakfast. Leave the body, someone will take care of it by morning."

/Wait, I just need a few things!/ Voldemort watched as Potter summoned one of the thinner leg bones and two other tiny bones. He answered the questioning feeling in Voldemort's mind. /Malleus bone from the ear, both of them, for a pet project. Right fibula,/ he held up the thin leg bone, /for a wand. I'll get tired of all the wandless-magic questions otherwise./

It was only then that the Dark Lord realized Potter had done all of that without even a wand.

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Harry rolled out of bed still tired. Since leaving Hogwarts, he had become more of a night owl. His magic felt stronger at night, especially the techniques he had learned from the Dementors. He supposed that was why Dementors went to the trouble of putting out the lights wherever they went. For him, the new moon was like the full moon was to werewolves.

Plus, his glowing runes were more impressive in the dark.

Digging around in his robe from the night before, he found the tiny bones he had taken from Madam Vance. These he strung onto a silver wire with the other malleus bones he taken from his past victims. This wire he fastened around his right ankle, the points of the hammer bones facing downward. Another longer wire he put around his throat as a choker. He put his robe back on, too, fastening it up from the inside with the finger-bone buttons and drawing the hood and cowl over his head.

Once dressed, he regarded his new wand where it lay on his nightstand. He had spent hours last night smoothing away the bumps and ridges on Madam Vance's fibula until it was shaped like any other wand. Then he had taken the marrow out, leaving a space for the magic core. It had no core yet, but that didn't matter. For now, it was only a prop to make his wandless magic less intimidating to his new allies and servants. Pocketing the hollow bone, he made his way to the breakfast room.

Inside the room, Voldemort and a few of his Death Eater were gathered around the table, waiting for him. This was the Inner Circle. All of them turned to look at him speculatively. Under his hood, Harry grinned. 'Time to give them all a shock,' he thought as he let his mental presence seep into the room and over their minds.

He could feel them all put up Occlumency shields as he swept them aside like cobwebs and gently wrapped up each of their minds. The strongest were those of Severus Snape, but even those fell before the Bone Man. Harry snickered to himself when he saw how comically wide the Potion Master's eyes got. The exceptions, he noted, were Lord Voldemort and Lucius, both of whom had felt him before and eagerly welcomed him back into their mindscapes. Their minds relaxed into his presence, like a child would snuggle into a soft bed.

"Bone Man." Voldemort spoke first, greeting him to show the Circle that he trusted this powerful wizard.

/My Lord,/ Harry nodded his shrouded head to the Dark Lord. He made sure everyone at the table could hear his words. /I trust you slept well?/

"Very well, thank you." He gestured to the men around the table and Bellatrix Lestrange. "My Inner Cicle. My faithful, this is the Bone Man. He has joined us just last night. His…particular skills will serve us well in the coming war."

Most of the Inner Circle nodded, but a few grumbled. They knew nothing about this wizard. The Bone Man was not a name they had heard before. It was to the loudest grumbler that Harry directed his attention.

/Someone is missing. Who?/ Everyone heard his question, but they could all feel that it was directed to Antonin Dolohov, who sat halfway down the table.

"Rabastan Lestrange is not here," the thin wizard answered curtly with a hint of a sneer.

Harry said nothing in response to the veiled challenge. Instead, he changed the feeling of his presence in Dolohov's mind. The warmth and safety vanished, replaced by ice-coldness and despair, with the feeling of sharp edges against flesh. When the man gasped and began to shake, Harry intensified the feeling until it was stronger than even a horde of Dementors.

The Inner Circle stared as tears rolled down the Death Eater's face and his body shook with quiet sobs.

/The Dementors have named me their Wizard-Lord. I have spent a year learning from their strongest in Azkaban itself. I will not take well to doubters,/ he let a cold wind sweep through all of their mindscapes, /and you may consider this your warning and a demonstration./

Satisfied, Harry let the coldness fade in Dolohov's mind. He wrapped the man's mind in a warm feeling of comfort and safety, soothing it like a small child. He chuckled silently when he felt the older man nuzzle against his presence. Voldemort cleared his throat, drawing attention back to himself.

"Rabastan Lestrange is dealing with Madam Vance at the moment, but he will join us after breakfast. Would you like to continue the introduction now or later?"

Harry thought for a moment. /Now, please. I would like to meet with you and a few others privately later./

"Very well. As you know now, my faithful, this is the Bone Man. He approached me through Lucius a month ago about an alliance. I have agreed. I trust him. He is not Marked, but his command is second only to my own, and he has control of the Dementors that have joined us-"

/Not just those,/ Harry interrupted, /all of them. Every Dementor on earth will follow me with no hesitation./

"All of them?" Harry's presence gave a mental shrug they all felt.

/Wizard-Lord./

"Shall I tell them your name?"

/Only as Lord Black,/ Harry spoke only to Voldemort. None of the Inner Circle could hear his words. /I have glamoured my scar and changed my eyes. None of them will recognize me as Harry Potter now./

"Of course. My faithful, the name of our ally is not to be spoken outside of the Inner Circle. Beyond us, he is only to be known as the Bone Man. Is that understood?" Voldemort's eyes flashed dangerously.

"Yes, my Lord," echoed quietly through the room. Harry reached up and lowered his hood and cowl slowly.

-0- -0-

If Lucius had not been raised with a sense of decorum, he might have waited on the edge of his chair to see the face of this mysterious man. His breath quickened as the man lowered his hood.

/I am Lord Gallus Hadrian Black./

The Bone Man was no more than a boy! He looked no older than Lucius's own son, Draco. His skin was pale and he had dark hair cropped almost to the skin. Something in his features looked familiar to Lucius, but all his thought scattered as he looked into the Bone Man's eyes.

Oh, his eyes!

They were black. Not just the iris, the whole eye. There was no white to his eyes, just the purest black. Looking into them was like looking at death and fear and despair. When the black orbs met his grey ones, Lucius was reminded strongly of a quote from a Muggle philosopher.

/When you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you./

Lucius was startled to hear the boy speak the very quote in his mind, but the presence was soothing and he quickly calmed again.

The boy swept his empty eyes slowly across the table before turning to the Dark Lord.

/My Lord, I will wait in your study. Bring Lord Malfoy and Rabastan Lestrange with you, please./

"I will meet with you when I have finished here."

The boy with eyes like death bowed and raised his hood again. As his presence withdrew, he whispered into Lucius's mind once more.

/Bring Draco when you come./

The Bone Man swept silently from the room, leaving them all feeling cold and lonely and slightly at a loss to explain it.

The table was quiet for a long moment before one of them found the ability to speak again.

"My Lord, who is he?" It was Dolohov, eyes still red from the tears he had shed earlier.

Even the Dark Lord looked lost without the Bone Man in his mind.

"A very powerful and unexpected ally. Whispers of the Bone Man will travel through the ranks of the Light. They won't believe in him at first, but they will still be terrified of him."

A scoff was heard down the table. Clearly Bellatrix had recovered her attitude.

"Him? My Lord, he's just a boy! What can he do, tell them ghost stories in their heads?" she sneered. The Dark Lord gave her a sharp look.

"Quiet Bella, do not insult him. Lord Black gave me a demonstration of his power last night. Perhaps you saw Madam Vance this morning?" Bellatrix paled quickly and shut her mouth. "That was the Bone Man's signature. Before he killed her, however, he removed her soul and emptied her core. He can turn souls into pure energy, and he gave me Vance's. Do not underestimate this boy. Perhaps Dolohov could enlighten us on what else Lord Black can do?" The man in question gulped.

"It…it was worse than the Dementors in Azkaban. I still remember how that felt, when they gathered around my cell," many at the table paled and shuddered, also remembering, "but that was worse. It was…I can't even describe it. I just had no choice but to cry, it was so…cold…and then it was over, and I felt warm and safe again. Better than chocolate or a warm fire or anything I could think of. It was just suddenly over and his mind felt…soft."

"Thank you, dear one. You see, Bella? That 'boy' is more powerful than you or I could ever imagine, and every day I will be thankful he has chosen to join me." The Dark Lord rose and all those at the table followed suit. "Come Lucius. Rodolphus, fetch your brother and send him to my study. The Bone Man wishes to meet him."

"Yes, my Lord."

As they left the breakfast room, Lucius sent an elf to fetch Draco as Lord Black had requested.

The Bone Man was waiting silently for them in the study, hood down, sitting cross-legged on the Dark Lord's desk. The elder blond was quite sure that if anyone else had tried to do such a thing, the Dark Lord would have killed them painfully on the spot. As it was, the Dark Lord only sighed and shook his head.

"I see you do still sometimes act your age, Lord Black."

As the familiar presence swept across his mind, Lucius did not even try to shield himself. He welcomed the Bone Man, wrapping himself in the warm softness of the boy's mind.

/I can act as mature as I wish, but I am only fifteen, my Lord./ Lucius thought that if the boy had spoken aloud, he might have stuck his tongue out.

"I can see that you will never cease to surprise me, child. Why have you brought us here?"

/I have gathered the people I want to know my true identity. We will wait for Draco and Rabastan to join us, however. Make Lucius swear the oath,/ he said casually, hopping down from the desk and tossing off his robe. Beneath, the boy was wearing a black short-sleeve shirt with a v-shaped collar, showing off a choker of tiny bones around his neck. He also wore slim black tailored trousers that ended at his knees. Wrapped around one ankle was another string of tiny bones. Lucius stared at them curiously after he swore his secrecy oath.

/Malleus, or hammer bones,/ the boy had noticed his interest. /One of three bones found in the ear. I take them from all my victims. I added Madam Vance's hammer bones just this morning./

There were dozens of bones on each strand, two from each victim. The boy was no stranger to death or murder.

Behind him, there was a short knock before the door opened to reveal Draco and Rabastan. Lucius saw Draco stiffen as the Bone Man entered his mind. Rabastan, however, had a look of shock on his face. His blue eyes searched the room, fixing on the boy.

"Arwr?" he croaked out. He rushed across the room, sweeping the boy into his arms, oblivious to the stares of shock.

"Dihiryn!"

It was the first time Lucius had heard the Bone Man speak. His voice had a raspy, growling sound that reminded the elder blond of the rattling sounds Dementors made.

"It is you! My arwr!" Rabastan lifted the Bone Man and spun him around once. The boy held the Death Eater's shoulders tightly and laughed, a sound of pure happiness that Lucius could feel roll across his mindscape.

'Just who is this boy?' he wondered.

-0- -0-

Even as he let himself sink into the happiness in his dihiryn's mind, Harry could feel the twin shock of Lucius and Voldemort and the confusion of Draco. As he nuzzled into his dihiryn's chest, he spoke to Voldemort.

/Make Draco swear the oath, then give him the same information you gave the Inner Circle./ He could hear the Dark Lord speaking to Draco, but he ignored it.

Sinking further into Rabastan's mindscape, he let images and feeling flow between their minds as he told his dihiryn about everything that had happened since the older man had escaped Azkaban. The man's arms tightened in response to the information about Umbridge and the fiasco in the Department of Mysteries. When Voldemort spoke to him again, it startled them both.

"It is done, Bone Man."

/Thank you./ Harry pulled away from Rabastan and moved to stand in front of Draco. He could feel the other teen's fear at looking into his pure black eyes. He pulled some of the fear out of his mind, examining it in his own, finding all the things that made Draco Malfoy afraid.

/Two of you know already who I am,/ he said, turning away and addressing his words to all of them. /Rabastan and I met while I was training with the Dementors. He knew me before I became the Bone Man or Lord Black. I revealed my name to Lord Voldemort when we struck the alliance. He has sworn the same oath as you and your son, Lord Malfoy. Now, I reveal myself to you./

With a wave of his fake wand, Harry dropped his glamours. His trademark scar appeared again on his forehead, and the black in his eyes shrank to the centre, uncovering Killing Curse green once more.

"I always did like the green better, arwr," Rabastan said behind him.

"Hush, dihiryn." Rabastan was the only one he had spoken to out loud since school had ended.

"Potter?" The question came from Draco. "How can you be Potter? You're so powerful and Dark, and he's so…not. And Light! You can't be Potter, he's thei-"

/If you say 'Chosen One' or 'Saviour' or any other stupid name they've given me, I will end you and happily add your ear bones to my collection./ Harry let cold seep into the younger Malfoy's mind.

Draco shut his mouth with a snap.

/Better. Yes, I am Harry Potter. I refuse to be Harry Potter any more. Yes, at school I acted like Dumbledore's little soldier. I don't think I need to explain the value of masks to a Slytherin, do you?/ He increased the feeling of cold malice he was giving Draco.

"No, no, of course not."

/Good./ The malice disappeared and he wrapped the other teen up in the warmth of his mind again. The younger blond visibly relaxed, a tiny smile reaching his lips.

"Pott- Bone Man, why are you telling us this? Draco is not even a member of the Inner Circle."

Harry turned to Lucius and smirked. He knew that Draco didn't even have the Dark Mark. It was one of the things he feared. He supported Voldemort's ideals, but he didn't want to be tortured on a whim or for failure, and he was afraid of having to hide the Mark at school.

/But he is still a student. I decided to tell Draco when I decided to return to school, and it isn't fair to ask him to keep secrets from his own father. You are his hero, after all. I wouldn't feel right, making him hide something important from you, Lord Malfoy./

Lucius turned to his son with a proud light in his eyes. Draco blushed and looked at the floor.

/Oh, Draco, don't look so embarrassed! Look up at me with those pretty eyes, the carpet can't appreciate them anyway,/ Harry laughed. Draco's blush deepened but he did look at Harry quickly before flicking his gaze away again. Rabastan chuckled.

"Arwr, quit teasing the poor boy. I'm sure he's not the only confused one here. Tell us why you're going back to school. You told me that you would never step foot in there again."

/Ah, dihiryn, I told you Harry Potter would never step foot in Hogwarts again. Hadrian Black, the newly emancipated Lord Black, happens to be two years shy of a full education and would like to finish them. No doubt he'll be sorted into Slytherin and in need of a friend./

"And Draco is to be that friend?"

/Only if he wishes to, Lord Malfoy. I will not force friendship./

Turning once again to Draco, Harry decided to speak to him out loud.

"That first year, on the train, you offered me your hand in friendship, but the time wasn't right then. We both needed to grow and learn more. If you will still offer me your hand, I would take it now."

-0- -0-

Draco was still sceptical of the hand extended to him. After all, he and Potter had been rivals for five years. Now here was Potter, claiming to be this Dark and powerful wizard and Dementor Lord and wanting to be his friend all of a sudden. What had changed?

"Why now?" he asked. He did still want to be Potter's friend, but not if there were hidden agendas. "What has changed?"

"I have, and you have," the teen answered. He continued to speak aloud to Draco, who supposed it must be some sign of respect. The younger Malfoy could still feel the presence laying lightly across his mind.

"I know you think I have some ulterior motive for this," he continued, "but I really don't. I have plans for you, yes, but none of them require your friendship. Your loyalty, yes, but not your regard."

Draco considered his answer for a long moment. He had no doubt Potter was scheming, since he was allied with the Dark Lord now, but he was surprised to be included in those plans. It scared him a little. He was not a killer, not like his Aunt Bella or like he'd heard Potter was. He knew the Dark Lord planned to Mark him and give him a task, but he didn't want that.

However, he trusted what Potter said. Even when they had been rivals, the other boy had never lied to him. So, he took the boy's hand, grasping it firmly in the way he wished he could have done five years earlier.

"Then I accept your offer of friendship."

Draco's answer prompted a dazzling smile from Potter that left him nearly breathless. A wave of happiness washed through his mind from the teen, and Draco knew he had made the right choice.

/Right, now onto my plans!/ It seemed the moment was over, and now Potter was back to speaking only through his thoughts. /My Lord, have you give Draco the Mark yet?/

"No, I planned to Mark him shortly before school and give him a task to prove his worth."

/I see. My Lord, would you mind terribly not doing that?/

The Dark Lord's eyes narrowed at the teen. Draco moved slightly away from the older wizard and saw his father and Rabastan do the same.

"Just what exactly are you planning? Draco's task is vital to the war effort. Do not think you can defy me, boy."

Draco gasped and fell to his knees, shaking and clutching his head. The cold and the hatred in his mind were so painful. Across the room, his father was also on his knees, silent tears rolling down his face. Rabastan still stood but had both arms wrapped around himself as he shivered. Even the Dark Lord had to grab hold of the edge of his desk as his knees buckled. Potter stood in the centre of the room, cold, empty expression giving away no hint of what he was doing.

/If you value our alliance and your life, you will never call me 'boy' again. Do not forget what I showed you last night, my Lord. All your little precautions are useless against me./

Draco would never forget the moment he saw the Lord Voldemort cower in fear.

"Of course, Bone Man. My apologies. Could you perhaps explain your plans for your Draco to me?"

Just like that, the cold and pain disappeared. Draco felt as though he was wrapped in a soft blanket or a loving hug. It was better than chocolate after Dementors.

/Of course! I plan to make Draco to me what Lucius is to you, and I'll carry out his little task myself./ Potter was all grins now. The abrupt change was almost disturbing. /As for not Marking him, Draco here doesn't want to have to hide it for the next two years, and I agree. Let me give him my sign instead, my Lord. It's much more subtle, as Rabastan here can attest. Show him, dihiryn?/

"Sure, little arwr," the older man chuckled, "which ones?" Draco stared curiously at the man, noting that the Dark Lord had narrowed eyes again. None of them had known Rabastan had been marked by someone else.

/Just the radial runes, not the personal ones. We don't need to disturb them all by having you drop your trousers./

"Alright," Rabastan replied, shucking his robes and starting to unbutton his cuffs.

"When did you put your own mark on one of my followers?" The Dark Lord asked the question on everyone's mind. "And how did I not know?"

/I marked him while he was in Azkaban. You didn't know because he didn't allow you to. They're bone runes just like mine. The physical rune exists on the surface of the bone. The Bone-Sign I chose to place on the underside of both wrists, on the radius and below the thumb. On the styloid process, if you want to know what it's really called. Show my Lord your wrists, dihiryn./

Rabastan dutifully bared both wrists to the Dark Lord. With the exception of the Dark Mark, the skin was clear. The Dark Lord ran a fingertip over both wrists.

"I cannot see them," he said softly, "nor can I feel any glamours that would cover such a thing. How?"

-0- -0-

Voldemort gazed down at Rabastan Lestrange's white skin. He was still annoyed that the bo- that Potter had managed to mark his Death Eater, but he was more amazed that he had not known and even now could not find the mark.

/As I said, bone runes. I have thousands, but you can't see them right now, can you?/ Voldemort remembered how the Bone Man had glowed, a skeleton made of tiny runes. /Right now, it is only an etching on the surface of the bone. When Rabastan feeds magic into the runes,/ he paused as Lestrange did so, /they show through the skin. The colour always seems to align with eye colour, but I haven't figured out why yet./

Indeed, two runes appeared on the Death Eater's wrist, one on each. They glowed through the skin a deep blue colour, matching Rabastan's eyes perfectly.

/We can also let them show black, but that's just…decorative. The spell can't be activated when they're black./ As the Bone Man spoke, Rabastan frowned a little as he concentrated. A moment later, both runes turned black. They looked almost like tattoos, but within his arms. The effect was like seeing through the arm to the bone, but without it actually being transparent. It was…quite impressive.

"You said this is your sign, the Bone-Sign. Why did you choose these? They are not spells."

/No, the spells are woven into his personal sign. Those are more like my signature. Ing on the right, meaning 'hero,' what the Light always wanted me to be. I chose to be a hero for the Dark instead. Ēar on the left, meaning 'grave.' Harry Potter has died, but the Bone Man rose from his grave. A bit poetic, but I like it./ Potte- no, Black, he wanted to be Gallus Hadrian Black now- Black shrugged.

"What do you mean, personal sign?" The question came from Lucius, but Voldemort was also curious as to what his new ally had meant.

/Well, I thought my sign was a bit distant, and I didn't like the idea of any followers I gathered all being identically marked. It just isn't practical. No offence, my Lord. With your Dark Mark, there are a number of spells woven into it, and that's why it's so large and bothersome to hide. With my small runes, I couldn't do the same thing. So Rabastan here has another set of runes, forming protection and tracking spells and shaped like the Gemini constellation, since he's a twin. Those are on his left hip. They're…connected, in a way, to my runes, so I can always find him./

"And this is what you want to do to Draco. What do you mean, make him to you what Lucius is to me?"

/My right hand. Lucius is your most trusted and an excellent strategist. With you, Draco would only be another soldier to order around, and he really isn't a killer. However, he has been taught at his father's knee, and I have use for his skills. As for his task…well, Draco may not be a killer, but I assure you I have no such problems. His soul and magic will benefit us both greatly, my Lord./

Voldemort thought about this. It was true that, while Lucius was around, Draco would never have risen to the rank his father held. While giving him to Black gave his ally more independence and power, he felt confident the Bone Man would not turn from him. They were partners in this now, even if the teen still called Voldemort his Lord. Draco would also have no trouble hiding the Bone-Sign from prying eyes at school, but with the Dark Mark he would not even be able to roll up his sleeves.

"Very well. Take Draco as your second in command. You will have the most authority over him."

"My Lord?" Lucius asked, clearly confused that he had had no part in determining the fate of his son and heir.

"Do not worry, Lucius, your son will be safe. Lord Black is not one for punishing his followers easily. Draco has a better standing with the Bone Man than in my ranks. Besides, if he is unable to kill then he would only fail his task, and I have no desire to punish you or your wife for his failure."

-0- -0-

Realizing Black had just saved his son from a distasteful fate, Lucius inclined his head, murmuring a soft "Thank you, my Lord."

Lucius was having just as difficult a time as his son believing that the Bone Man was really Harry Potter. Even more so that he had denounce his name and taken a new identity and a new side in the war.

He wondered just how powerful this new man was. The Dark Lord had only just met with him the night before, but already he trusted him and had even formed an alliance that gave Black equal power over the Dark side. While Lucius had felt the magic that was thick in the air of the little round hut where he found the Bone Man, only the Dark Lord had gotten a proper demonstration. Though everyone had seen Madam Vance that morning.

"Potter-"

/Hadrian,/ the teen interrupted, /or Black or Bone Man. As I said before, Harry Potter is dead, and I will not answer to his name./

"Black, then," Lucius corrected, "will you show us your runes? You said you had thousands, and I am curious."

"Arwr, how many more did you add since I last you?" added Rabastan. "Before you had only your hands and spine. Have you finished your project?"

Black laughed. It was a beautiful sound, one that echoed in Lucius's ears and mind, since he laughed with both voices, and Lucius wondered how close of a relationship he had with the Lestrange brother.

/Yes, dihiryn. I completed the last bone, my skull, this summer. It wasn't very long before I met Lord Malfoy./

Black pulled off his shirt and tossed it aside where his robe lay. He closed his eyes, and his skin began to glow faintly green, like the Killing Curse. When he opened them again, they were completely black in the centre with just a thin ring of glowing green around the edge. His body was a skeleton made entirely of runes. They were miniscule, much smaller than Rabastan's, and they wrapped around every bone in a spiral. No surface was left bare.

Standing there is his short trousers, the Bone Man was a being of pure magic. He was so Dark, and it was beautiful. Rabastan whistled appreciatively.

"You did them all the same way we did mine? How did you get that much blood?"

"Blood?" Draco asked. Lucius supposed he was the most curious, since he would have his own bone runes soon.

/The runes are carved onto the surface of the bone, and then I seal them with Dementor blood and a little black magic spell I created. I could use any blood, but the Dementors' has the strongest connection to the magic and it comes with a nifty little side effect./ At the Dark Lord's raised eyebrow he explained, /the Dementors can't bother you anymore. What I do is both magic and a form of Legilimency, so I can still suck the happiness away from Rabastan here, but the Dementors are all instinct. It's just feeding for them, even if it is a little magical. They're like ticks, and I am a butcher who opens veins with a knife. To answer your question, Rabastan, a couple very old and dying Dementors allowed me to kill and drain them so I would have enough. I have some left over still, enough to mark Draco and your brother, if he wants. If you allow, my Lord,/ he added hastily. Rabastan snorted.

"Yes, fine. Rabastan, you may speak to your brother if you wish. Gemini does stand for twins, after all. Black, if you wish, you may give Draco his markings today," the Dark Lord drawled out, waving a dismissive hand. The Bone Man doused his glowing runes and quickly donned both shirt and robe.

/Excellent! Come with me, Draco, it'll take a few hours and only hurt a lot, I promise. Dihiryn, I'll need your help,/ and Black swept from the room, followed by the two others and leaving Lucius's mind as lonely and empty as before.

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Albus Dumbledore looked around at the faces turned toward him. It had been almost two months since Harry Potter had disappeared from the Hogwarts Express, and no one had heard anything from him since. The Order of the Phoenix had gathered again, and everyone wanted consolation or news from him. He sighed. It was bad enough that his tool had vanished and everyone's plans were beginning to fall through, but some of these people actually cared about the boy.

"Professor, have you found anything new?" Hermione Granger asked. She looked disturbed, not that Harry was gone, but that someone with such a high profile could disappear so thoroughly that even Albus could not find them. The Weasley boy beside her just looked bored and annoyed. Albus knew he had always been jealous of the boy, but he was the best choice for a friend because of his strong affiliation with the Light.

"Yes, some, but it isn't very helpful. It seems that Harry went to Gringotts when he vanished from the train. There, he heard about Sirius's will. You may not know, but Sirius named Harry as his heir. He claimed the title and consolidated both the Potter and Black vaults."

"So he's Lord Black now?" gasped Molly Weasley. "Ginny will be the next Lady Black, then!" Albus and the Weasley family had plans to get Harry to marry Ginny Weasley, cementing his power to the Light side.

"I'm afraid not, Molly. The records are sealed after that point, but the goblins tell me that the current Lord Black is not Harry Potter but one Gallus Hadrian Black. Since Harry tied the Potter vaults to the Black vaults, the new Lord Black has control of both."

"We were supposed to get his money if he died!" Ronald shouted, angered by his family's loss. "You promised, you said it was in his will!"

"I know, Mr Weasley. However, he changed the vaults after the will was made, making it null and void."

"For there to be a new Lord Black, wouldn't Harry have to be dead?" asked Hermione with a thoughtful expression. "That would explain why the owls won't even try to deliver any letters. I had thought it was because he was hidden behind strong wards, but owls could find Sirius here even when we didn't know about it."

"Yes indeed, Miss Granger, which does bring me to another bit of information I'm afraid we didn't want to hear. Lord Black left a letter for me at Gringotts, which the goblins gave me, though I have not read it. I have been told it concerns this building in particular." He shook out the parchment and read

"'To Albus Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix,

'I am aware that you are currently using Number 12, Grimmauld Place as a headquarters for your organization. This letter is to inform you that this cannot continue.

'Number 12, Grimmauld Place is a Black residence. As Lord Black, I am taking back my residence. I am aware that my predecessor, Sirius Orion Black, allowed you to use the building as a headquarters and to place the building under a Fidelius Charm with Albus Dumbledore as the Secret Keeper. However, the Black Lordship claim supersedes yours.

'The Order of the Phoenix has until noon on August the first, year 1996, to vacate the premises of Number 12, Grimmauld Place. After this date, the wards will forcibly remove you and break the Fidelius Charm. As soon as this letter passes through the wards, the private family rooms and the Black library will seal. Please leave peacefully. Any damaged caused to the house or its furnishings will result in a lawsuit.

'Sincerely,

'Gallus Hadrian Black
'Lord Black
'Lord Potter'"

Stunned silence filled the room, before shocked whispering broke out.

"How dare he throw us out?! Who does he think he is, throwing Dumbledore out on the street?!" Ginny Weasley was the source of the outburst. Albus smiled kindly at her.

"My dear, he thinks he is Lord Black, and he is absolutely correct. He marked this letter with his seal, so I believe we will find ourselves cut off from a number of rooms in this house now."

"I've never heard of a Gallus Black. Have you check the family tree, to see if his claim is real?" asked Tonks thoughtfully. She and Albus had both wondered what would happen to the Black title if Harry had died.

"I am sorry to say I did not. We will have no chance to now, as it was undoubtedly sealed off in the library. There would be no point in checking, as the goblins will not allow anyone with a false claim to become Lord." Albus gave a sad smile, though he was seething inside. How could this man have known about their activities? He had hoped that the Fidelius Charm would hide any knowledge of Grimmauld Place. He knew it was powerful, since he was the caster. Harry's disappearance was ruining everything!

"Professor? If Harry's dead, who's going to defeat V-Voldemort?" Hermione asked quietly. She was not concerned with Lordships and titles, but her own fate as a muggleborn.

"My dear, we will continue fighting. There was a prophecy about Harry, that's true, but he wasn't named in it. There is one other it could have meant. I will train that boy with all the knowledge and skills I was going to teach Harry this year. We still have a fighting chance." Albus was not pleased. Neville Longbottom would not stand a chance. Voldemort would sweep him aside like so much dust in the wind. He would have to redouble his efforts to destroy all the Horcruxes. Longbottom would only bumble around and mess up such a task.

"Albus!" The door to kitchen burst open before a frantic Kingsley Shacklebolt. "Albus, they've found Emmeline Vance. Her body was at the entrance to Knockturn Alley. Albus, she was…" He had a strong look of horror and disgust on his face.

"What, Kingsley?" Arthur Weasley asked. "How bad could it be?"

"Her body had no skeleton. Her bones were in a pile beside her, and her body had no marks on it. It's like she Apparated and left her skeleton behind. There was a message carved onto her skull." The dark skinned Auror was green, remembering the sight. "It said, 'Prepare for the wrath of the Bone Man.' There were two runes below that, under the eye sockets."

"Who is the Bone Man?" Ronald asked. Everyone else looked too ill from imagining the sight to speak.

"He is the Dark Lord's new ally," answered Severus Snape. Everyone turned to look at the man in black, standing in the shadows. "He was introduced this morning to Inner Circle."

-0- -0-

Severus had eagerly been waiting for the Light's reaction to the state Madam Vance had been left in. He was astounded to hear what Lord Black had done. The boy clearly knew how to use everything he had to work against the Light. It was a shame he was forbidden to tell them that the Bone Man and Lord Black were one and the same. Severus would have enjoyed their shock.

"The Dark Lord struck the alliance last night. Madam Vance was his 'demonstration' last night. The Dark Lord has named either an equal or second only to himself."

"Can you tell us anything about his power? He must be incredibly strong if Voldemort calls him an equal," said Albus. Everyone was beginning to become afraid of this Bone Man. His lord had spoken the truth, the Bone Man would cause whispers of terror among the Light. Possibly the Dark as well, if they heard what he did to Dolohov.

"The Dark Lord has given him complete control of the Dementors. He says he trained with the Dementors, and that they consider him their 'Wizard-Lord.'"

"Do you believe these stories, Severus?"

"I do," Severus replied sincerely. "Antonin Dolohov doubted him this morning. He was inside all of our minds. Not even my Occlumency shields could keep him out. He pulled the happiness out of Dolohov, worse than any Dementor could. I felt only a slight cold wind, his warning I suppose, but Dolohov cried. And it was said," he paused, appearing to think but really giving his story a little suspense, "it was said that, before he killed Vance, he pulled out her soul and turn it into pure magical energy, which he gave to the Dark Lord."

"If that is true," Albus mused, while the Weasleys sat with eyes like saucers, "then he is like nothing we have ever seen before. Killing this Bone Man will be our priority. There is no way to protect the soul from a Dementor's Kiss, and the Patronus will do nothing against a man. What did he look like, Severus?"

"I do not know," he lied. "He had on a robe that covered his feet and hands, and he hid his face behind a hood and cowl. He did not even speak out loud. He spread his mind over all of use and spoke directly into our thoughts. It was…" warm, comforting, safe, disturbing "odd."

"Even into yours, Severus? I didn't think anyone could get into your mind," asked Kingsley. Severus sneered at the implied slight that his shields were not as strong as everyone thought.

"Even into the Dark Lord's. I doubt there is a force on earth that could keep the Bone Man out. It did not feel like any Legilimancy I have ever heard of."

"Severus, we need to know more about this Bone Man. Go back and learn what you can."

Severus bristled at the order and the dismissal. He was not a dog to do Albus Dumbledore's bidding.

He turned on a heel and left the room to prepare for his return to Malfoy Manor.

-0- -0-

As Snape left and the meeting devolved into gossip, Fred and George exchanged looks and touched fingertips.

\Harry sure did the job right, didn't he?\

They had known about Harry's training with the Dementors from the beginning, during Harry's third year. They had given him the map to help him sneak off to meet with the creatures, after all. When Harry started to become the Bone Man, he had marked them with the Bone-Sign, too. That had been right after the Third Task and Voldemort's resurrection. Sneaking out of the meeting, they went to speak with Snape.

\If he's in the open now, we can join him,\ said George to his twin. In their personal signs, Harry had woven a mental connection between the two when they touched. He said that twins had a special form soul, one that wanted to be joined and mixed, that allowed it. Their marks were in the shape of the Gemini constellation, too, but on their shoulders: left for Fred, right for George.

\Finally!\ exclaimed Fred as they strode toward the Potion Master's office. \Dumbles' little plans and chess moves are really annoying. How did he think Ron was best friend material for anyone?\

"What do you want?" snapped Snape.

"We want to go to our master," the two replied together. Snape raised an eyebrow.

"What are you talking about?"

"The Bone Man," supplied Fred.

"We know the Bone Man is Lord Black. We may know more about him than you do," explained George.

"He marked us as his followers years ago," continued Fred. "We've been waiting for him to come out in the open, so we could join him."

"Now that he has, we want you to take us there."

"We swear on our magic that this isn't a trick-"

"-so mote be it."

Snape gave them an appraising look. The white light that had flashed proved that the vow had held.

"Very well. I'll take you side-along to the gates. The Bone Man will decide to let you in from there. If he lets you in at all."

The twins offered up hands, which Snape grasped, and they all turned on the spot and vanished.

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Draco was nervous. He might have been friends with Pott- Black now, but he had promised pain. Lots of pain. Draco could handle pain, but he wasn't masochistic.

"Where should we put your personal mark?"

Black's question startled Draco from his thoughts. They were seated facing each other on the hardwood floor of Black's bedroom. Rabastan was lounging across the bed, examining Black's wand.

"What's this made of, arwr?" he asked, frowning at the wand and waving it around. "And why can't I make it work?" Black chuckled.

"Dihiryn, it isn't real. I prefer wandless magic, I don't need a wand." Draco choked at the casual answer He didn't need a wand at all? "It's one of the poor late Madam Vance's fibulas, a leg bone. It's hollow right now. I haven't decided on a core yet, though I'm thinking blood." Rabastan smirked.

"Dementor or human?"

"Both, I think. Mine and the Dementor King's. And possibly some snake venom, if Nagini and my Lord approve. It would be incredibly responsive and tuned just to me."

"Arwr, you are the darkest, craziest genius I have ever met." Black just gave him a smirk and a mocking bow.

"Now," he said, turning back to Draco, "we should decide on a design for your personal mark first. You don't want to stop halfway through the process, believe me. I think we should use the constellation Draco as the design. I want to put more protections into your sign, so whatever design should be big. As should the bone I put it on, so think about that while I get the supplies." Black rose from the floor and open a trunk. He pulled out several vials of a black liquid and one of a silver potion. He continued to speak.

"There aren't many flat surfaces in the human skeleton. There's the skull, but that's dangerous and I'd rather not do that to anyone else. Shoulder blades are good, or I can wrap it around any large bone."

"I like the constellation idea," Draco answered. It was a bit like monograming his own body. "Can you wrap it around my arm? My right one?"

"Sure. Now, here's the important part. The black magic spell I use requires a life sacrifice, but it doesn't have to be a human life. Most of my runes were sealed with human lives, criminals and prisoners in Azkaban, but some were Dementors that were dying. I offered to kill them quickly and save them the pain. Human and magical creature sacrifice makes the most powerful and reactive runes. Rabastan's were also sealed with a Dementor's life, but I've done others with animals. Do you want yours sealed with human, Dementor, or animal sacrifice? The Dark Lord still has prisoners I can use."

Draco paled at how easily Black talked about killing people. He knew the teen did not kill pointlessly, but it still shocked him to think that the person who had once been Harry Potter now killed easily and without remorse.

"Dementor, please," he answered after a moment. His runes would still be powerful, but he wasn't quite comfortable with casual sacrifice. "Don't kill any of the important ones for me, though."

"It's ok, Draco, I won't. I know one of the lesser leaders had a child yesterday, but it was born sick. It wouldn't have lasted until tomorrow morning, anyway. My way will be kinder."

Draco was surprised at how kind Black was to the creatures. The Harry Potter he had known in school had had a bad experience with Dementors, fainting every time he got near them. How did Black manage to stay near enough to train with them?

"Black-" he started, but he was interrupted.

"Hadrian, please. I go by my middle name now. Hadrian is more familiar to me than Gallus." Draco nodded.

"Hadrian, I thought you hated the Dementors. You kept passing out near them in third year."

"I did look a fool, didn't I?" Hadrian grinned. "No, the Dementors are kind to me. The one on the train in third year recognized my magic right off, plus a little extra special thing that's a secret between me and the Dark Lord. They have a prophecy that's centuries old, foretelling the coming of the Wizard-Lord. I was lucky the one on the train had studied the prophecy. He could feel my core and my soul, but there were blocks on my magic and my memories. I kept passing out because they were trying to remove the blocks, but I didn't understand. It wasn't until the Quidditch match, there one where I fell off my broom, that they removed enough so I could speak with them. They use the same mental communication I do, that's why Occlumency can't keep me out. There's no Occlumens that can keep a Dementor out, after all."

Draco was reminded again of the lingering presence Hadrian had in his mind and how it made him feel warm and comforted.

"Why does it feel so different when you're in my mind? It feels…safe."

"Because I want it to," Hadrian shrugged. "I can make it feel how I want, and soft and warm feeling makes people trust me. They never fight after the first time either. Not that it does anything, just tires them out, but they stop fighting. Even the Dark Lord welcomed me into his mind this morning." Hadrian stood and rolled his shoulders. "Now, to business. I think we'll do your radial signs first, then the right humerus. I'll do the sacrificial seal at the very end, but you'll be unconscious for that part. Trust me, it's better that way."

"It really is," Rabastan added. "I remember my first sign, I was awake for the seal. Arwr, I don't know how you managed to stay awake for all your seals."

"Practice," Hadrian answered flatly. "Off the bed, Rabastan, Draco's gonna need it. My Lord got Lucius to lift the anti-Apparition wards in this room, so we can do it in here."

"Why do we need to apparate?" Draco asked, confused. Hadrian waved his hand to conjure a bone made of metal. He gripped Draco's arm tightly.

"The runes need to go directly on your bones, and for that your bones need to be outside your body. I could phase them out, like I did Vance's, but your body would collapse around the space, and putting the bone back correctly is…complicated. If we apparate, I can switch your bone with a fake, then switch them back when I'm done. Understand?"

'Not really,' Draco thought, but he nodded anyway.

"Good. Now, we have to apparate together. You focus on getting us both on the bed. I'll focus on switching the bones. Ready? Here we go!"

-0- -0-

Hadrian focused intently on his work. He had finished the Bone-Sign already and had moved on to Draco's personal mark. Using a quill made of pure magic, he carefully inscribed the next rune in the series before dipping the quill in the Dementor blood and moving on to the last rune.

Draco's mark wrapped around the bone three times, it was so big. In it, Hadrian had included several strong protection spells, including one that would work if he was unconscious because of an attack, a tracking spell, a spell to strengthen his mental shields (though it still couldn't stop Hadrian), and one that was tied to Hadrian's own runes. That spell would allow him to call to Hadrian if he was ever in danger, no matter how far apart they were.

Hadrian had a duty to protect his second-in-command, after all.

Finally finished, he grabbed Draco and the bone and they completed the final Apparition, replacing the temporary nickel bone with Draco's proper humerus. Hadrian used nickel because it was the least reactive metal, and therefore the least likely to be rejected by the body while he was working. That had been especially important when he had done his skull and spine.

Fully put together again, he laid Draco down on the bed.

"Now comes the seal. I've got a potion for you here. It'll just put you under for five minutes, but it's enough. The sealing process causes a lot of mental and physical pain," he warned the blond. "I can pull out all the mental pain you'll have, but your body will still hurt. I'll turn what I pull out into pure energy and give it back to you, though. You'll recover faster that way. Understand?"

Grey eyes met his and Draco nodded, throwing back the silver potion like a shot. He was asleep in seconds.

Stretching out his mind, he summoned the sick Dementor child and its parent to him. He explained what he was offering, and the lesser leader readily agreed. He and his mate were not happy to lose the child, but they both knew nothing could save it. Hadrian's killing would save the whole family a great deal of suffering.

The adult Dementor moved away to the darkest corner of the room as Hadrian began to chant in Latin. He held the infant creature close, tenderly kissing its brow before conjuring a blade of gold and killing it quickly. He laid the body on the floor and began to draw runes in the creature's blood on Draco's skin, over his wrists and his upper arm. He chanted switched to Old Saxon. The ritual he used was one he created, a mix of two others. The part in Old Saxon was much older than the first piece, done in Latin.

As he chanted, he could feel the pain in Draco's mind. Quickly, he pulled it into his core, converting it to pure magic. The blond's muscles began to twitch from the pain, signifying that he would wake within seconds.

Grey eyes flashed open and his jaw clenched, but he did not scream. Hadrian was proud of him for that. After a few minutes, his chant ended and Draco's pain faded, leaving stiffness and soreness in its wake. Hadrian pushed the energy he had taken into Draco's core, and the other teen sighed in relief. The runes drawn in blood faded, showing that everything had worked perfectly. Hadrian grinned.

"All done, Draco. Sleep now, my brave Dragon. I will teach you about them when you wake."

Draco nodded, too exhausted to reply. He was asleep again in seconds.

The Dementor in the corner drifted over to him.

/I am sorry it had to happen, Mourning One,/ he said. He always felt remorse from killing one of the creatures, more than he ever felt from his human kills. He was meant to protect them as they had protected him, and he cared for them.

/It could not be helped, my Wizard. I regret that he could not grow up to serve you,/ the Dementor replied. An idea struck Hadrian.

/Mourning One, perhaps he could serve me yet./ Hadrian explained his wand that needed a core. A Dementor's cloak was the embodiment of its power. It would make a wand core fit for the Wizard-Lord, and it would be a reminder of this child every time he used it.

/Of course, my Wizard. My child can still serve you that way. You honour my family with your remembrance,/ the Dementor replied.

/Thank you. Mourning One, I must ask one more favour of you. Please let the King know that I would like to speak with him tonight at midnight./ The Dementor agreed and left to seek out the King. Hadrian was the Wizard-Lord, but he still treated the creatures kindly and their King with the respect due to his station.

The Dementor passed Severus Snape in the doorway, provoking an amusing shudder from the spy. Hadrian let his mind seep into Snape's. The man sighed, but did not bother to fight it.

/You seek the Bone Man, Severus Snape?/

The man in black gave a half bow, as though unsure how much respect he should give to Hadrian.

"Lord Black, I have brought two young men who say they are followers of yours. I left them at the gate for you to decide to let them in or not." Hadrian smirked.

/Do these followers perhaps have red hair and a tendency to finish each other's sentences?/ Snape nodded. /I shall go and greet Fred and George. They will be interested to know that I am in the process of acquiring another set of twins. Stay with Draco, please, Severus, and inform me when he wakes./

Snape nodded again and moved to stand beside the bed. He studied Draco's sleeping form, frowning.

"Lord Black, why is he asleep? Is something wrong?"

/Nothing is wrong, Severus, he is only exhausted. I have just finished marking him to be my right-hand man. Your godson is perfectly healthy. I shall explain more to you both when he wakes./

"Of course, Lord Black."

Hadrian donned his robe once more and headed out to meet the twins.

-0- -0-

Rabastan Lestrange looked appraising at the red-headed twins in the sitting room. He had thought that all the Weasleys were Light, but Hadrian would not have marked these two if they were not different.

Fred and George Weasley, the notorious pranksters, sat side-by-side on the couch opposite Rabastan's chair. Both of them mirrored the look he gave, studying them back. As one, they each raised a hand and touched their fingertips together. Rabastan raised an eyebrow.

"Fred! George!" Hadrian cried as he came into the room. With a quick flick of the wrist, he locked the doors and warded the room. "Mental connection still working then?"

"Strong as ever," they replied in tandem and Hadrian shed his black robe. Everyone in the room carried the Bone-Sign, so there was no need to hide his identity.

"Mental connection?" Rabastan asked.

"Twin thing," his arwr replied as he dropped into the older man's lap, casually throwing his legs over the arm of the chair. "I put it in their personal marks. They can speak mind-to-mind when they touch. If Rodolphus takes the Bone-Sign, I can do the same for you two. I already put it in yours, anyway."

"You didn't tell me that!" Rabastan scolded, pulling the teen closer to him. Hadrian nuzzled into his chest. They had both missed each other greatly since Rabastan had escaped Azkaban.

"I didn't trust Rodolphus yet," he replied. "It wouldn't do anything if he never took my mark, either. It would just stay inert." He pressed his lips into Rabastan's neck. "The Weasleys are Gemini, just like you, but it's on their shoulders."

"We love the connection Harry gave us," one of the twins added, "and his method is great. We could be naked in front of Dumbles-"

"-and he wouldn't be able to find a thing," finished the second. "Everyone still thinks we're Light-"

"-but we think it's the greatest prank yet!" All three of them laughed.

"Has Dumbles heard about me yet?" Hadrian asked eagerly. The twins gave evil twin smirks.

"Yep. That's how we knew to come to you. The Ministry just found what you left of Emmeline Vance at the entrance to Knockturn Alley, and everyone's scared witless."

"Nice choice," Hadrian muttered, kissing Rabastan on the jaw.

"Of course, Snape telling stories about the mysterious Bone Man who makes hardened Death Eaters cry isn't helping things there," added the other.

"Damnit, I always miss the good stuff!" exclaimed the older man. He turned to the teen in his lap. "Who did you make cry while I was off dumping the body you left?"

"Antonin Dolohov. He doubted my power at breakfast this morning. He sobbed quite loudly at the end," his arwr grinned. The twins laughed, imagining the stringy man crying into his eggs and toast.

"Arwr, next time make sure I'm there to watch. Especially if you go after Bella."

"Of course, dihiryn. Poor Bella still doesn't believe in me. I may need to fix that soon." The teen gave a feral grin, excited at the prospect of his particular brand of mental torture.

"Alright, we have to ask. Arwr?" piped up one twin.

"And dihiryn?" added the other.

"And are you guys together? Tell us, Harry!" they finished together. Hadrian laughed at their eagerness.

"First off, I don't go by Harry anymore. Harry Potter is dead, and the goblins of Gringotts have obliged me by declaring him so. Gallus Hadrian Black exists in his place, but I prefer Hadrian to Gallus. I am Lord Black as well as Lord Potter now, since Harry Potter made Gallus Black his heir, though I sealed the will so Dumbles will never know.

"Arwr and dihiryn are Welsh terms. They mean hero and villain. They're our ironic little nicknames for each other. The Lestranges are Welsh, and Rabastan taught me the language while I was with the Dementors last summer. Some of the prisoners liked me, especially since they didn't know I was Harry Potter. I was already Hadrian Black to them. They taught me Latin, German, and some Old English and Old Saxon. Azkaban was really much better than Hogwarts.

"As for Rabastan here, he's my…he's my dihiryn, I guess. He was the only one in Azkaban with an extra bunk, so he was my cellmate when I was there. Now he's just mine." Hadrian gave them a smile, letting his happiness at being with Rabastan again wash through the connection he still had with all their minds. Even when he spoke out loud, he was always in their heads.

The twins were quiet, thinking. They had their fingertips connected again, and their eyes were glazed. They were clearly lost inside their shared mind.

"What's it like, their connection?" Rabastan asked Hadrian.

"It's incredible," he murmured in reply. "Sometimes they share thoughts like you and I would speak to each other, but right now it's all just feelings and images. It's a completely different way of communicating. I hope Rodolphus agrees. You would love it."

"Alright," one of the red-heads said suddenly, "we approve of him if you do. He can't really hide anything when you're in his head, and he already knows you were Harry Potter."

"But," the other said, turning his gaze to Rabastan, "if you hurt him or betray him in any way, shape, or form, we will hunt you down and kill you in a way that would make the Bone Man sick to his stomach."

"You could try," Hadrian muttered under his breath. Then he shot out a hand to catch the pillow thrown at him. "Throw pillow does not mean you throw it at me!"

"Ok," the twins shouted together, "question time!" Hadrian grinned.

"Fire away!"

-0- -0-

Hadrian watched as the Fred and George touched fingers again. He had known the interrogation was coming sooner or later. He hadn't been able to see them privately enough the last summer to talk about his training or the Dark side. They had had to make do with hints, and they had to be even more careful in Hogwarts because of Umbridge and her spies. Now they could finally speak freely.

"When were you in Azkaban?" Fred asked.

"Occaisonally during the summer of the World Cup, before I went to stay with you guys. One of the Dementors would come and get me at nightfall for a few hours of training. Then I slept in Rabastan's spare bed and they brought me back at dawn, before the Dursleys woke up. Last summer, when Umbridge sent them after me, the King came himself and spoke to me. He told me where it was so I could make a portkey. After that, I went whenever I left the Dursley's house. Most of the time when you couldn't find me at Grimmauld Place, I was in Azkaban. I also left Hogwarts whenever I could last year."

"Are you going back to Hogwarts this year?" George continued the questioning while Fred nodded.

"Yep. In a couple days, Dumbles is gonna get a letter about enrolling Lord Gallus Hadrian Black as a sixth year at Hogwarts. I've no doubt he'll be sorted into Slytherin. Besides," Hadrian smirked, "I'm quite interested to see how the Light handles the sudden and mysterious death of their Saviour. I bet they turn on the Slytherins right off, and I want to make sure things don't get too nasty."

"What's with the name?"

"Blacks are always named after stars or constellations. I like Gallus. It isn't recognized as a constellation anymore, Merlin knows why, so it fits me. Still there, but not there. It means 'rooster.'" Three raised eyebrows greeted that statement. "The crow of the rooster is fatal to a basilisk. I killed a basilisk. Poetic, no?"

"Will anyone at school know who you are?" Clearly the Weasleys had a lot of questions.

"Only Draco Malfoy knows everything. I'm not sure how much to tell Severus Snape. No one outside Voldemort's Inner Circle will be able to connect Lord Black to the Bone Man. All the Dark students will know the Bone Man is Voldemort's ally and partner, but none of them know Hadrian Black. Draco and his father know I was Harry Potter. I just finished marking Draco as my second-in-command, in fact. We've agreed to be friends as well."

The twins sat back, stunned a little.

"Well, young Hadrian-"

"-you did do the thing right, didn't you? One more question, though."

"Will the wards really remove the Order from Grimmauld Place?" Hadrian gave his most evil smirk in response.

"Of course! That's my house now, and I want my enemies out of it! At midnight of August first, the Fidelius will fall and anyone who was given the secret will find themselves on their arses in the street. The best part is that anything they aren't physically carrying will be left behind, and anything they leave behind will be burnt. Except for Order paperwork. That all gets sealed up in the library so I can turn it over to my Lord. I do hope no one leaves their wand behind," Hadrian finished innocently.

The twins laughed uproariously, and he could feel Rabastan's body shake as he chuckled. George spoke first, wiping tears from his eyes.

"Oh, you should have seen Dumbles's face when he read your letter."

"Or Ron's, when he realized he wouldn't get a piece of your fortune now that you've kicked the bucket. And Hermione's when she realized the library was locked!"

"Oh, they're not gonna be happy to see you at school!" they finished together, dissolving into laughter again. Hadrian joined in with his own twice-voiced laugh.

-0- -0- -0- -0- -0- -0- -0- -0- -0- -0- -0- -0- -0- -0- -0- -0- -0- -0- -0- -0- -0- -0- -0- -0-

Voldemort studied the young wizard seated on his right at the breakfast table. Introducing the Bone Man to the lower-ranking Death Eaters had gone remarkably well. When Voldemort had questioned him later, Hadrian had confirmed that he had indeed been in all of their minds, over fifty people altogether. He explained that none of them had questioned his power after stories had spread about Dolohov, and that he had made his touch on their minds cold, like icy fingers on tender skin. The Dark Lord was very impressed with the teen's power and control.

If he were truthful with himself, he would admit that it scared him a little.

Judging by the number of blank, distracted faces around the table, Hadrian was carrying on several private conversations at once with members of the Inner Circle, while speaking with Voldemort about his new wand.

/What happened to the wand you had?/ he questioned the boy.

/The holly wand? I stopped using it. After our duel in the graveyard, I realized that any wand would have limitations, so I starting training intensively in wandless magic. I'm better now without a wand than most wizards ever could be with one. I still have the holly wand, if you want it./

/Why would I want Harry Potter's wand?/ Voldemort asked, curious and a little insulted.

/You don't know?/ The Dark Lord shook his head, cocking an eyebrow. /It's the brother to your yew wand. Ollivander told me when I bought it. I'd be willing to bet it chose me because I was still your Horcrux then. Twin cores, two feathers from the same phoenix, that's why our magic connected whenever we duelled. The holly wand would probably work just as well for you as your yew wand. Double-casting would be a big advantage over Dumbledore. I could help you train some, if you want./

/Thank you, that would be excellent,/ Voldemort said sincerely. /Have you found a core for your new wand?/ The Dark Lord was interested in the fact that the teen was making his own wand from very…unusual materials. He wondered why it never occurred to him to craft his own wand in his rise to power.

/I spoke with the Dementor King last night. He gave a vial of his blood to use in core mixture. I have a Dementor's cloak as well. I'll bind the whole thing to me with my own blood. If it works right, it should never channel magic for anyone else but me./ Hadrian paused, then continued hesitantly, /My Lord, I would ask a favor of you./

/Ask, Hadrian. Do not fear my anger, you are my equal,/ Voldemort chided.

/If she is amenable, may I have a vial of Nagini's venom? I am a parselmouth, and I cast some of my spells in parseltongue. I believe the use of snake venom would make those spells stronger./

Voldemort considered this. The boy had revolutionary ideas about wandmaking and magic. Voldemort had never considered casting in parseltongue. He wondered what changes it would make to the effect of the spell.

/Of course. I will tell her you wish to speak with her. Inform me when you have completed the wand, I wish to see you test it./

/Thank you, my Lord, I will let you know. It should be finished by the end of the month./

/Your birthday is coming up, is it not?/ Voldemort asked suddenly. /The thirty-first?/ At that, the presence in his mind grew blunt edges, not painful yet, only the threat. Evidently, he had ceased his other conversations and everyone at the table was feeling the same effect, because they all turned to look at him. The Dark Lord did not need anyone to tell him that information tying Hadrian to Harry Potter was a dangerous topic.

/Harry Potter's birthday is seconds before midnight on July thirty-first. Gallus Hadrian Black's is seconds after midnight on August first. I plan to celebrate my sixteenth birthday by throwing any remaining Order member out of my house in London. Excuse me, my Lord./

Hadrian pulled his mind back so quickly many in the room clutched their foreheads in shock. A few whimpered at the sudden loneliness. The teen got up from the table and swept from the room.

"My Lord, if I may, did you insult him in some way?" Lucius asked. Voldemort glared at him.

-0- -0-

Draco was studying the silver runes on his skin when he felt Hadrian return. He had not yet left Hadrian's room, as the other teen had shared a bed with Rabastan rather than disturb Draco's recovery.

/Like them?/ Hadrian flopped onto the bed next to the blond. He was the epitome of casual when around people he trusted, but all grace and formality around others.

"They're beautiful, Hadrian," he whispered. "I love my personal mark. Thank you."

"No, thank you for accepting them. Any pain?" he poked the muscle around the new runes.

"Nope, it's perfect. How did you come up with the idea?" Hadrian laughed his peculiar two-voiced laugh.

"Would you believe I got the idea from knucklebones first? Then I did a lot of study on the uses of bones, especially as amulets, and I wondered if the carvings could be on a bone still inside the body. Lots of reading and practice and study, and voila," he waved a hand, changing the runes on it to black, "the Bone Man."

They were quiet a moment before Draco had a sudden thought.

"How are you going to keep people from recognizing you at school? Harry Potter had the most recognizable face in the wizarding world."

"Just a few changes. Add a couple glamours, remove some glamours. I'll need a new eye colour…" he mused.

"Remove glamours? What are you hiding?" Draco knew he had asked the wrong question when the cold wind blew across his mind, but it was quickly replaced by…resignation? Weariness? A touch of fear?

"I don't want to lie to you, but I wish you hadn't asked just yet. Ward the door, please?" Draco did so, sitting up to face his new friend, who was now cross-legged in the center of the bed. "Don't ask any questions yet," he warned, shucking his shirt. Hadrian closed his eyes, and his glamours melted away.

The Bone Man was covered in scars. The right side of his face had half a dozen long marks running from his nose and brow down to his jaw. Horizontal lines on his neck told the story of someone whose throat had been cut open, deeply, more than once. Draco counted five scars there, five attempted killings. Knife scars, years old, were layered over his heart. Ragged marks covered his wrists and arms, bondage scars. Random other marks were scattered across his torso.

Eyes still closed, Hadrian told a deep shuddering breath and opened his mouth, but his voice caught in his throat. He simply shook his head and took another deep breath. A knock at the door startled Draco.

"Draco? Can you let us in?" It was Rabastan. Hadrian nodded. When Draco opened the door, Rabastan was followed in by the largest Dementor he had ever seen. Hadrian had spoken the truth, Draco felt no coldness from the Dementor's presence. "It's the Dementor King," Rabastan explained. "He felt Hadrian's pain and came and got me."

The Death Eater clambered onto the bed wrapped his arms around Hadrian from behind. The Dementor King drifted over and began to run a grey-skinned hand across his short, inky hair. Hadrian sighed and began to speak.

"When the Dark Lord killed my parents, Dumbledore sent me to live with my last living blood relatives. He claimed there were blood wards around the Dursleys' home that would keep me safe from any Death Eater attacks.

"I knew nothing about magic until I got my Hogwarts letter. The Dursleys are Muggles of the worst kind, the kind that hates anything different. They were normal, and I was the worst kind of abnormal they could imagine, even if I didn't know it. They told me my parents died in a car crash. I grew up in the cupboard under the stair, hated, and I didn't even know why. They starved me. I got the belt after any accidental magic, but I couldn't stop it.

"They didn't start trying to kill me until after I turned eleven. When Hagrid brought me back from Diagon Alley, my Uncle Vernon greeted me by cutting my throat and throwing me in the cupboard. It's the first thing he does every summer now. It almost drains my magic every time. He gives me a week to see if I die. When I don't, he drags me up to my room upstairs, with seven locks on the door and bars on the window.

"Then he starts the torture. Just whipping until I was thirteen. Then he started burning." He held up his hands. His palms were covered with shiny burns, erasing his fingertips. "I got these for accidentally inflating his sister Marge like a balloon before third year.

"Last summer was the worst. The Weasleys had blown up their fireplace the summer before when they came to get me for the World Cup. He brought out the knives for that. He got desperate when he couldn't kill me, started trying to carve out my heart. I think he thought I was a vampire. It explains the name: Monster."

Hadrian pulled away from Rabastan and twisted to show his back. Thick layers of cross-hatched scars attested to years of beatings with deep gouges caused by the buckle of a belt. Running diagonally from shoulder to hip were letters, carved deeply with a blade and tinged grey. MONSTER.

"He rubbed ash into the cuts. It's an old-fashioned was to create a tattoo. Vernon's grandfather was in the Royal Navy, he had a tattoo done with ash."

The Dementor King ran one long finger over the word. The colour matched his grey skin. A single tear ran from Hadrian's closed eyes before he broke out into sobs. Before Draco or Rabastan could react, the Dementor King pulled the Wizard-Lord into his cloak, surrounding and protecting him. Draco could feel the echoes of Hadrian's pain and despair and shame and self-hatred in his mind, and his eyes began to water.

-0- -0-

Hadrian was ashamed of himself for breaking down in front of the King. He was supposed to be the strong Wizard-Lord who would lead them into an age of power and acceptance, not some weak, snivelling child.

/Hush, my Wizard,/ the King told him, /there is no soul who could fault you for your feelings. Do not be ashamed of yourself and your past. Be strong because of them./

/Thank you, Great Royal,/ Hadrian whispered. The King held him tighter, soothing him with his mind and his cold hands.

/Your friends wish to hold you as well, my Wizard. The Villain is especially impatient,/ the King chuckled. Hadrian gave a snort that was half sob and pulled away. Rabastan did look very anxious. He pulled Hadrian to his chest.

"Arwr," he sighed, pressing his lips into the teen's short hair, "you can put them away now. They were the true monsters. You're free now, and we will protect you. Hell, even the Dark Lord would fight to keep you safe."

Draco reached out and took his hands, running his thumbs across the knuckles.

"They might have been Harry Potter's relatives," the blond said, "but they aren't Hadrian Black's family. You're the Bone Man now. You're powerful and independent and beautiful. The Bone-Sign you gave us is more important than blood."

/This is your family, my Wizard,/ the King added. /The Light has wronged you, but the Dark welcomes you with open arms and hearts. All the Souleaters give you their love and loyalty. Write your life anew, my Wizard./

Hadrian wiped the last of the tears from his eyes and detached himself from Rabastan and Draco. He rose with a graceful movement to stand. He extended his hand to the King, who took it in his and bowed deeply, bringing his head below the level of Hadrians.

Thank you, Great Royal. You are to true friend to the Wizard-Lord, he said with both his mind and his voice. He kissed the Dementor King on the brow and bowed shallowly. You are a gift to the Souleaters. Lead them well. I bless you.

As he spoke the last words, he let some of his magic flow into the King. He gave the kind Dementor the gift of verbal speech.

"Thank you, my Wizard. I shall serve my race and my Wizard-Lord with everything I possess until my dying day."

Hadrian and the King bowed once more, completing the formal-yet-emotional ceremony. Wandlessly, Hadrian unlocked the door and the King took his leave.

Rabastan and Draco had eyes the size of saucers.

-0- -0-

Rabastan was astonished at how easily his arwr changed from broken child to the most graceful king without warning. Then he remembered that Hadrian had never been exactly normal. Some of his closest friends were Dementors, after all. He chuckled at Draco, whose mouth was hanging open unattractively. Hadrian grinned at the blond and shut his jaw with gentle fingers.

"Malfoys don't gape, dear Dragon."

Draco blinked.

"I think you broke your new friend, arwr. What did you do?" Hadrian paused with in shirt half on and shrugged.

"I wanted to give the King a gift, for my thanks. He really has been a great friend, considering I just strolled in and claimed more power than he has. It felt like what I should do, so I blessed him." He pulled his shirt on. "Gave him part of my magic so he could have a voice. I'm sorry I broke down on you guys."

"Don't be," Draco recovered his voice. He ran a finger lightly, carefully, over one of the marks on Hadrian's face. "This is why no one will recognize you?" Hadrian tensed but did not pull away. He blew out deeply.

"Yeah. I'll cover my scar- my recognizable scar- and change my eyes, but all the rest will be open. My hair's too short now for the 'Potter curse,' and no one wants to ask questions of a deformed man. I've kept them all glamoured since the first day of school. No one but the Dursleys know I have them."

Rabastan was thoughtful. Hadrian hated his blood family, and they him. If the blood ties were cut, he could truly start a new life as Gallus Hadrian Black. The Death Eater had an idea, but he kept it to himself. He would need some big favours. If it all worked out, it would make a great birthday present for his arwr.

When he started listening to Hadrian and Draco again, they were talking about meeting with Dumbledore.

"I want to see his face when he realizes a schoolboy is throwing his precious Order out in the street!"

"What?! What did you do?" Draco exclaimed. Hadrian shared a grin with Rabastan.

"Sirius let Dumbles use the Black townhouse in London as the Headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix. When…when Sirius died, he named me his heir. When I disappeared from the train this summer, I went straight Gringotts to meet with the only person I was sure I could trust: Griphook, my accounts manager. I claimed the Black and Potter titles, then I combined the vaults and attached the Potter title to the House of Black. Griphook helped me with all the paperwork to declare Harry James Potter legally dead and create Gallus Hadrian Black. Now I own Sirius's house, so I wrote Dumbles and the Order a letter. The Fidelius Charm will break on August first, and if they don't leave, the wards will throw them out."

Draco collapsed into surprisingly high-pitched giggles.

"You- you're too much sometimes!" he gasped out.

-0- -0- -0- -0- -0- -0- -0- -0- -0- -0- -0- -0- -0- -0- -0- -0- -0- -0- -0- -0- -0- -0- -0- -0-

August first dawned bright and clear. Hadrian groaned as someone opened all the curtains at once, letting the morning light flood into the room.

"Happy sixteenth birthday, Hadrian!" Rabastan was disturbingly chipper in the mornings for someone who had spent over a decade in prison. The teen in question rolled over and buried his face into Draco's shoulder. The blond chuckled.

"Not a morning person, eh?"

"Shut up, Dragon," Hadrian yawned. "It's my birthday, you have to be nice to me."

"Speaking of birthdays and presents and for you," Rabastan began, but Hadrian shot out of bed before his dihiryn could finish. He threw on his clothes and ever-present hooded robe. He always wore it outside warded rooms in the Manor, in case one of the lower-ranking passed by. He needed to be seen as the mysterious Bone Man to them.

While Draco dressed for breakfast, Hadrian reflected on his last actions as the Bone Man. He had killed Amelia Bones, head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and key Order member. When he removed her bones, he had assembled them into a skeleton again, posed like someone under the Cruciatus Curse. A dash of magic and he could make it writhe and the jaw open and close. Then, he had snuck into Grimmauld Place and left a note on the kitchen table. It had just one line, 'Bones for the Bone Man,' and his Bone-Sign. He and Voldemort had shared a laugh, imagining the reactions of the villagers of Hogsmeade in the morning.

Hadrian had grown close to the Dark Lord recently. No longer shocked by his pale, snake-like visage, he regarded Voldemort as an honorary father, and the man had taken him as a protégé. They often trained together, Voldemort teaching Hadrian all the Dark magic he knew and Hadrian helping him learn wandless magic and double casting. The old holly wand had turned out to work perfectly for the Dark Lord.

"Ready for a spectacular birthday breakfast?" Rabastan asked as they left the bedroom.

/Who will be there?/ Hadrian asked, switching the his thought-voice in the hallways.

"You'll see! And we have the best gift for you, too."

As soon as the door to the breakfast room was shut and warded, Hadrian was tackled by a lot of red hair.

"Fred! George!"

Normally the entire Inner Circle ate breakfast together, but for Hadrian's birthday, only his friends had come. Fred and George had used the excuse of the shop to get away, since they were now spies in the Order for the Dark. The rest of his marked were there: Draco, Rabastan, Rodolphus (who had joined his brother in the twin bond as soon as he heard), Bellatrix (Hadrian had forgiven her, even if she didn't know he had once been Harry Potter), Lucius and Narcissa. The Dark Lord sat at the head of the table, a sincere and soft smile on his face. In the opposite corner of the room, Hadrian saw the Dementor King, who bowed to him. Everyone laughed and chatted happily through breakfast, Hadrian's joy spilling over into all their minds. It was strong enough that even the King did not need to feed.

"Can we go see if the Order gets thrown out today?" Draco asked as elves cleared the dishes away.

"You must wait a while longer, young Malfoy," the Dark Lord said. "Hadrian has not received his present yet." Hadrian blushed and everyone laughed good-naturedly. Everyone stood and moved away, except Bella, who took his arm and gently steered him toward Voldemort. The older wizard conjured a silver bowl and three knives. Hadrian gasped as he suddenly understood.

"A blood adoption? Oh, my Lord…" he was unable to say more, but everyone could feel his overwhelming happiness and gratitude. They all three took a knife, and Voldemort began the ritual, acting as the caster.

"Gallus Hadrian Black, do you deny your blood?"

"I, Gallus Hadrian Black, called the Bone Man, deny the blood of James Charlus Potter and Lilian Evans Potter."

"I, Thomas Marvolo Riddle, Jr., called Lord Voldemort, accept Gallus Hadrian Black, the Bone Man, as the son of my blood." He sliced across his palm from wrist to fingers and bled into the bowl.

"I, Bellatrix Black Lestrange, accept Gallus Hadrian Black, the Bone Man, as the son of my blood." She cut across her hand and bled into the bowl.

"I, Gallus Hadrian Black, called the Bone Man, accept Thomas Marvolo Riddle, Jr., Lord Voldemort, as the father of my blood, and Bellatrix Black Lestrange as the mother of my blood." His hands shook with excitement as he made the cut and placed his palm in the bowl of mixed blood.

"I name thee Gallus Hadrian Riddle-Black, the Bone Man, and my heir," the Dark Lord intoned, casting the magic to cement the relationship.

"So mote be it," the three spoke together. Blinding light flashed, sealing the new family by ancient magic. Voldemort vanished the bowl and knives. Bella healed her hand and Hadrian's.

"Mother?" he whispered tentatively. She smiled at him and wrapped him in a strong hug. "You don't hate me for not telling you who I used to be?"

"No, my son. How could I hate you for something you never wanted to be? I already knew you used to be Harry Potter."

"I told her when I asked her to join the ritual. I believe she even sat through a rational conversation with Rodolphus about it," Voldemort said, placing his hand on Hadrian's shoulder.

"Father?" he asked tentatively, unsure is the Dark Lord would appreciate it. The older man smirked.

"Not in front of my Death Eaters. My son and heir." To everyone's shock, he too hugged Hadrian. "You're a real Black now, and an heir to Salazar Slytherin. Which reminds me, I have another gift for you, my son." Voldemort summoned an elf, who brought him a wrapped box.

Hadrian opened the box and lifted out a three-foot snake. He gasped. The snake, a male, was a rich black with pure white eyes. He wrapped around Hadrian's arm and studied the new wizard.

"Earlier this summer, Nagini hatched snakelings. Her young were attacked by birds in the forest one day, and this was the only one to survive. Nagini and I believe he will be a good familiar for you."

Hadrian was briefly saddened by the thought of his last familiar, Hedwig. Umbridge had attempted to steal a letter she was carrying near the end of the school year. The snowy owl had fought back, and Umbridge killed her during the struggle. He had mourned his lost friend and added another reason to kill the woman slowly to his list.

~Hello,~ he said to the snake that was still studying him. ~Do I meet your satisfaction?~

~Yes,~ he responded, nodding. ~You will be my wizard. Before you name me, you show know my powers.~ Without any warning, the snake changed into the largest raven Hadrian had ever seen. The bird still had pure white eyes. When he opened his beak, Hadrian saw a forked tongue. The raven still spoke in parsel. ~My mother and I did not tell the Dark Lord of my powers. I am unique, much like you, Wizard-Lord.~

Voldemort stared at the raven as he changed back into a snake.

"My son, you are very lucky he has chosen you as his wizard," he murmured. "I have never heard of such a thing. An animal with two forms? It seems impossible."

~I believe I have shown it is indeed possible, Red-Eyes,~ the snake replied scathingly. Hadrian was reminded of Severus.

~My father is merely surprised that any piece of knowledge escaped his vast knowledge of the world,~ Hadrian explained, earning a muttered "brat" from the Dark Lord. ~I shall call you Änderung.~

~I am pleased,~ Änderung replied, wrapping around his master's neck once more.

"I've named him Änderung, German for 'change,'" Hadrian explain for the benefit of those who were not parselmouths. Everyone smiled, and Hadrian was happy on his birthday for the first time in his life.

-0- -0-

Lord Voldemort had never wanted to be a father, but, watching Hadrian, he was glad he had made the choice to adopt the boy when Rabastan had suggested it. Briefly he wondered if he would have to involve himself in some way with the strange open relationship the boy was having with Rabastan and Draco, but he decided Hadrian was too old to play the concerned-father role. He would simply love the boy to the best of his ability, as he did already. Albus may scoff, but the Dark Lord could in fact love. Merlin bless Hadrian Riddle-Black for joining the Dark Lord and making him sane once more.

Perhaps that was another of Hadrian's abilities? Madness had reigned on the Dark side before he came. Innocents were killed and there was wanton destruction instead of the rebuilding of the world Voldemort had hoped for. Now, he had returned to his more political ideals, and even Bella was calm, sitting with their son and young Malfoy. The two sets of twins were testing the connections the Bone Man had given them by playing a two-on-two game of chess without using words.

Voldemort was glad to have Hadrian. He and the boy had grown very close in the fortnight he had been with them. He had no doubt the boy loved him. He was also pleased to have an heir. It had distressed him that Salazar Slytherin's line would end with him, but he could find no one worthy until Hadrian. His son was very powerful, and he was…proud. As the clock struck eleven, he wondered if Albus would spontaneously die of surprise to see the Dark Lord and his family.

"Hadrian, aren't you leaving soon for London? You need to change your appearance soon," he reminded his son. He wondered at the lightning-quick flash of distress he felt from the boy. Rabastan abandoned to reach out for Hadrian.

"They can leave if you want, arwr. They don't have to see yet," he said softly, to Voldemort's confusion.

Hadrian furrowed his brow and walked over to the Dementor King. The creature folded him up in his cloak. Voldemort was becoming worried about the boy's distress when he spoke.

"I'm not ready to tell everyone yet. Rabastan, Draco, Mum and Father can stay. Can the rest of you leave, please? Thank you for celebrating my birthday with me, it was wonderful."

When the others had left, Hadrian stood in the centre of the room, staring at his feet. The Dark Lord had never seen his son act so childlike. Nervousness and shame and the slightest hint of rage seeped from his mind.

"Your worries are unfounded, my Wizard," the Dementor King soothed. "Your blood-parents will not reject you. Their love for you is true, not like what you have known in the past. Remember what I told you last time."

"Of course, Great Royal." Hadrian raised his head and stared forward as layers of glamours melted away, revealing glowing green eyes and so much more.

When Voldemort realized that it was the Muggles who had marked his son so horribly, he was disgusted with Albus. How could he place a boy he meant to be a Saviour with people who tried to kill him repeatedly? Torture was to kind to be his fate. Hadrian felt the disgust in his mind and immediately withdrew completely, startling the man. Oh, the boy thought his father was disgusted with him, with his appearance. He took the stiff boy in his arms.

"Not at you, my son, never at you," he promised, "at the Muggles who did this and Albus for keeping you prisoner there." He took his son's face gently between his hands. "Gallus Hadrian Riddle-Black, I will never be disgusted with you. I made you my son because I love you, and I will only ever love you." He wiped away the single tear that rolled down Hadrian cheek as he felt the presence ease back into his mind.

"As will I," added Bella, rubbing soothing circles on his back. "We won't ask any questions, and you can tell us as much or a little as you want."

"The Dursleys…," he started, but shook his head. "There's too much to say. I'll tell you when we come back. I'm letting people see the scars when I go to Hogwarts. No one has seen, so my true appearance can be my disguise. I just need to hide this one," he pointed to the famous lightning bolt mark, "and change my eyes."

"What colour are you thinking?" Rabastan piped up, eager to distract Hadrian. He frowned in thought.

"I don't know yet."

"Mine used to be a very pale blue," Voldemort informed his son. Hadrian seemed to mull the new information over before a sudden smile appeared.

"Got it!" He closed his eyes and waved his hand before blinking rapidly. "Weird feeling. I've never transfigured them before, the black is just a glamour. This won't be as suspicious as a glamour, though."

The Dark Lord looked into the very different eyes of his son. His left eye, on the unmarred side of his face, was the same black as Bella's, but there was a ring of red the same colour as his own in the centre. On the right side, where his face was cut through with scars, there was an orb the same pale silver-blue as his were once. The piercing gaze, however, was all Hadrian's.

"Very striking," he murmured.

"I love it!" Bella squealed. "You look so dangerous now!"

"I agree," Draco said, "I wouldn't want to get on your bad side." Rabastan nodded, and Voldemort thought he heard the Dementor King chuckle.

"Are you runes still green?" he wondered. Hadrian let his runes bleed through.

"Good, still green," he sighed. "I'm rather partial to that green, it looks exactly like Avada Kedavra. Maybe the colour isn't from the person's eyes at all? Something to do with the magical signature or the soul, I bet. Father, I wonder if yours would be blue of red." Voldemort chuckled.

"I don't know, and now is not the time to find out. You and young Malfoy have a busy day ahead, messing with Albus, and it is time for you to leave."

"Don't be too good!" Bella called out as the teens, plus one snake/raven, left, escorted by the Dementor King.

"Don't get in too much trouble either!" he added, feeling like every other father in history. Rabastan just laughed.

-0- -0-

Albus sat in in office at Hogwarts, waiting for someone to come. He had received a letter the day before ask for an appointment on the afternoon of August first about a new student. He was curious as to who this could be. To his knowledge, every magical child who should have gone to Hogwarts was currently enrolled. A knock at the door made him pause in the act of sipping his tea.

"Enter," he called. Two teenage boys entered the room. The first was Draco Malfoy. The second made him drop his teacup.

The boy was not particularly tall, but he was strong and lithe, with his figure enhanced by the well-cut robes of the deepest black. His hair was very short and scars covered his face and neck. He would have looked dangerous enough as it was, but his eyes. They were different, one black with a touch of red, the other ice-blue. The mismatched eyes fixed upon the Headmaster with a calculating gaze.

"Does my appearance shock you, Headmaster?" the boy asked in a cool voice.

"No, of course not my boy. I'm merely surprised," Albus waved away the comment. "Sit, please. Am I correct in assuming that you are the new student?" He gestured to the chairs. The Malfoy boy sat on the scarred one's right in an instinctive manoeuvre.

"You are. I was privately tutored for years, but my tutor has recently died and I wish to complete my education here."

"What is your name, my boy?" Albus needed to know who he was. Even privately-tutored and home-schooled student are on the Hogwarts register until they decline their acceptance to the school.

"My name is Gallus Hadrian Riddle-Black, recently Lord Black and Lord Potter. Perhaps you've heard of me?" The boy gave a cold smirk. Of course Albus had heard of him, this boy had thrown them out of Headquarters that very day! He had no idea that Lord Black was still a schoolboy.

"Not until quite recently, I'm afraid," he said calmly, though inside he was seething. How dare this mere boy mock him? "Would you tell me more about your schooling so far?"

"Certainly. When I was one, I was sent away to live with relatives. England was not a safe place for me, so I went to Germany. There, I was taught by a hermit crazier than my own mother. He died just this past year, and I decided I could protect myself well enough to return to Britain. I am sixteen now, so I will be in the sixth year class here, but my curriculum will need to be different." He produced a sealed parchment, which he opened with a tap from his long, slightly curved and curiously pale wand, made of a substance Albus had never seen before. "My scores through the German Ministry of Magic, including some equivalent to British NEWTs."

Albus looked over the scores. The boy had gotten perfect scores in the full range of OWLs offered by Hogwarts and a few that were not, such as Basic Magical Theory and Basic Ritual Magic. He also had perfect scores in NEWT-equivalent Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, Advanced Magical Theory and Advanced Ritual Magic, the last two of which were not offered by Hogwarts.

This Gallus Black was a child prodigy, to have taken NEWTs two years early. Not even Albus himself, or that genius boy Tom Riddle had managed that. 'Although…,' he thought. The boy had called himself not Black, but Riddle-Black. Perhaps…?

"Everything seems to be in order. I'm sure your Head of House will be able to figure out a curriculum with you on the first day." He set the paper aside. He wanted to use Legilimancy with his next question, but had to push down his fear at looking into those empty, mismatched eyes. "You mentioned being unsafe here, but you were sent away right around the fall of Lord Voldemort. Would you not have been safer here?" As he asked, he reached out for the boy's mind, planning to search through the memories the question would bring up. What he found shocked him.

The boy's mindscape was Azkaban, complete with Dementors, though the cells were empty. Rain pelted down from a grey sky, and a wild wind chilled him to the bone. As soon as he landed, two of the Dementor guards seized him with strong arms, dragging him towards the gate. They threw him toward the icy black sea and out of the boy's mind entirely.

A tiny, cold smirk appeared on the boy's lips as the Headmaster sat back in quickly-veiled shock.

"It wasn't safe simply because of who my parents are. They are rather…notorious. I do hope I can expect to be treated fairly and as my own person, as well as safe here."

"I don't know about that, Lord Black. Harry Potter was the most guarded wizard alive, and he disappeared from the school train," added the Malfoy boy, speaking for the first time. Black glanced at him.

"Ah yes, Harry Potter. I had forgotten that this school is used to fame, though mine is more like infamy. I hope I can trust you to keep me safe, just as you would for any other student, Headmaster. My father is quite possessive these days, and his anger is…legendary." Malfoy snickered before Black shot him a scolding look.

"Yes, what happened to Mr Potter is quite a tragedy. I assure you, we are tightening security as we speak. Who are your parents, if I may ask?" Albus thought they must be very Dark, if the boy anticipated students attacking him left and right.

"If I told you, you would not believe me. Will you allow my blood to tell you?" Receiving Albus's trademark genial nod, the boy summoned a sheet of parchment and cut his thumb with his pale wand, releasing a drop of blood on the parchment. Holding his wand to it, he spoke a spell to reveal blood family. The drop of blood expanded and changed, spelling out three names. He handed the parchment to Albus.

"My parents, Headmaster."

Thomas Marvolo Riddle, Jr. – Bellatrix Black Lestrange

Gallus Hadrian Riddle-Black

Albus was shocked once again. He had no idea that Voldemort had a son. 'Why didn't any of my spies ever tell me?' He wondered if having the boy in school was a good thing. Perhaps he could convince the boy to turn against his evil parents and support the Light instead. After all, they had sent him away to Germany, and none of his father's supporters had taken him in. Yes, having his own blood turn against him would be a terrible blow to Voldemort and the Dark.

"I see. Well, this does explain a few things, doesn't it?" Albus said, putting a twinkle in his eyes from his plans. "I assure you, my boy, no one will treat you unfairly because of your father's name, nor your mother's."

"Headmaster," the boy said, fingering the pale wand, "I am not your 'boy,' and I would appreciate it if you called me Lord Black. It is my title, after all."

"Of course," the Headmaster bristled inwardly. "What is your wand made of? I have never seen one like it before."

"Nor will you ever again," was the boy's quick reply. "I crafted it myself."

"How extraordinary. May I see it?"

"Draco, has the Headmaster ever asked to see your wand?" Black asked the boy beside him.

"I can't say that he has, Hadrian," Malfoy drawled. Albus frowned. He needed to get a look at that wand!

"Lord Black, I need to register your wand. It's a common procedure here at Hogwarts. I've never asked for Draco Malfoy's because it was registered by the wandmaker when he bought it."

"Draco, anywhere in the official school documents or the Hogwarts charter, does it say that students must register their wands?"

"No, nowhere, Lord Black. I do believe you can keep your wand to yourself."

"Thank you, Draco. I do not appreciate being lied to, Headmaster," the boy said in a cold voice, directing his piercing gaze back to Albus, "especially not to be manipulated into giving up personal information. There is no reason for you to know anything about my wand other than that it works perfectly." He rose, looking at the secretly fuming Headmaster with a slight sneer of disdain. "If there is nothing else, we will take our leave. Good day, Headmaster." And with that, the boy was gone. Malfoy shut the door behind him with a snap.

Albus stalked over to the fireplace, tossing in some Floo powder and calling for Severus Snape.

-0- -0-

Severus listened with hidden amusement to the Headmaster as he ranted about his frustrations with Hadrian Black. He had not known Hadrian was coming to Hogwarts, but he found himself looking forward to it, especially when he heard about the boy's test scores. Hadrian would be a vast improvement in his class from Potter.

The bit about him being the Dark Lord's son surprised him, though. He could not doubt it, however. Blood spells could not lie.

"I assure you, Albus, no one knew the Dark Lord had a child at all, much less with Bellatrix Lestrange. Though, she has always been somewhat…eager…for his attention."

"We should make every effort to turn him away from the Dark. With his intelligence, Ravenclaw should be a good fit for him. We cannot allow the boy to follow in his father's footsteps. Discourage any friendships with Slytherins you see forming, Severus. Speak to Draco Malfoy and break them apart." Severus frowned.

"I will treat the boy as I do any other student, Albus. I will not judge him on his parentage, but on his skill in my class," he replied. He disliked Albus's manipulations around the boy. Hadrian Black was the only wizard possibly more powerful than the Dark Lord, and Albus's plans were not likely to end well.

"Just as you did for Harry, you mean?" the Headmaster scoffed. "You had no issues with judging him by his father's actions, I remember." Severus narrowed his eyes.

"Which I did by your instructions as well, if I recall, to keep him away from my House. I regret that I had to treat him the way I did. James Potter may have been his father, but Lily Evans was his mother. We deserved a chance to learn about each other, which you took from us both." Severus's voice was cold. He wished he could apologize to Potter. He must have more of his mother than just her eyes, but he would never know now. "I need to prepare to meet the Dark Lord shortly. Is there anything else you need, Albus?"

When Severus was dismissed, he Flooed directly to Malfoy Manor. Sitting in the Dark Lord's chair in his study was a cloaked and hooded figure. The presence stealing across his mind told him who it was.

"Bone Man," he greeted with a shallow bow, "where is the Dark Lord?"

/He has gone for a walk in the gardens. The weather is lovely today./ Severus nodded. /Did you learn much from Dumbledore, Severus?/ the Bone Man asked, amused, as he dropped his hood, revealing his disturbing solid black eyes.

"You have made him quite frustrated, Lord Black. He, and I, were surprised by your heritage. I was not aware my Lord had a son." Black smirked.

/Yes, I did make quite an impression on him./ A chuckle rolled through his mind. /He dropped his teacup when he saw me. My face for school is quite striking, more so than this one./

"What is it, if I may ask?" Severus asked. Albus had said nothing about his appearance other than to mention his "strange eyes."

/You may. It is time to reveal to you what has been hidden./ Severus frowned.

Black rose from the chair, shucking both robe and shirt. Standing half-naked in the middle of the study, he closed his eyes and removed his glamours. Severus gasped at the scarred body the teen revealed, bearing testament to a dozen attempts to kill him. "MONSTER" was carved in grey letters across his back, speaking of the exact opinion of the boy's torturers.

"This is how you will look at Hogwarts?"

/This is how I look every moment of my life since I turned eleven. I simply keep it all hidden. I had relatives with rather negative opinions on magic./ The Bone Man's mental presence was no longer warm and safe, but it was not cold either. It was simply there. The boy had locked away all his emotions to reveal his secret to Severus. He still had not opened his eyes.

"My Lord and Bella? Not even they would do this to their own child, especially not just for being magic!" Severus was appalled by the thought.

/The Dark Lord and Bella performed a blood adoption ritual this morning. My sixteenth birthday present was a new family. These marks are all I have left of my previous family. I have only existed as Gallus Hadrian Black since summer began. You knew my past identity quite well./

As Severus watched, the boy opened achingly familiar green eyes and traced a single scar on his forehead.

"Do you know me now, Professor?"

-0- -0-

If Hadrian had not been so nervous, he might have laughed at Snape's floundering.

"Potter?" he whispered.

"I was, once. Harry Potter is dead now, thanks to the goblins of Gringotts. I will never carry that name again. These scars, so kindly bestowed by the Dursleys, are my only reminder of the blood I renounced this morning. I have a mother who loves more than anything now, and a father who is proud of me. Do my actions shock you, Severus?"

"Yes," the man replied truthfully, "the boy I knew would not have done this. You have changed a great deal."

"No, the mask you knew would not have done this. The Gryffindor Golden Boy, the Boy-Who-Lived, with his mother's eyes and father's everything else, with his single famous scar and average power, would not have done this. You knew a mask I hid behind. Who in the Light would trust a boy more powerful than the great Albus Dumbledore? A boy who the Dementors proclaimed their prophesized Wizard-Lord at the age of thirteen? I couldn't act the way I wanted to in Gryffindor, but Dumbledore forced the Sorting Hat to place me there. It told me I was suited for Slytherin even then, but it was not permitted to Sort me there. Now, I am the Heir of Slytherin, and not even Albus Dumbledore will keep me away from my birthright." He quirked a smile. "We shall see a great deal of each other, Severus."

"Indeed we shall. Are you not worried someone will remember your eyes? I trust they were not the 'strange eyes' you showed Albus."

"No, I'm changing them permanently tonight," a wave of Hadrian's hand changed his eyes once more. "This is what I chose, based on my both my mother and father. I will permanently change the shape of this particular scar. I can't remove it because it was placed with a Dark curse." He traced the lightning bolt mark. Changing topics suddenly, he asked, "Did the esteemed and thwarted Headmaster say anything about my wand?"

"He did," Severus chuckled, accepting the change without comment. "He was quite angry he couldn't convince you to hand it over. It made me rather curious. Would you allow me to see it?"

Hadrian produced the object, just completed the previous night. He watched as Snape traced the smooth surface. It was bleached white, slightly twisted, and curved just off straight. He had left the head, where it would join the knee joint, on as a grip, but had smooth down the lateral malleolus to get the wand to taper at the tip.

"You made this yourself?" Hadrian nodded, proud of his work. "What is it made of?"

"Bone. Madam Vance's fibula. I had been doing everything wandless since I killed off Harry Potter, but I need a wand for school. I mixed the core myself. It's my blood, blood of the Dementor King, venom from Nagini, and the cloak from the child Dementor I killed to seal Draco's runes." The memory of that killing still touched him. "The child was sick. It was dying slowly. My killing was a mercy to it and its family. I chose to memorialize the child in my wand," he explained quietly. He never like killing his charges.

"It is very impressive. It will not work for anyone but you," said Severus, handing back the wand as the door opened and Voldemort entered the study.

"Is it finished?" he asked, seeing the wand.

"Yes, I finished it last night. Are you free to test it with me tonight, Father?" Hadrian remembered promising the Dark Lord the chance to watch.

"Of course I am, my son. Will we duel?" he grinned, clearly eager to test his double-casting against the power of the Bone Man's wand.

"Not tonight. I have a better idea," Hadrian promised his father.

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Voldemort looked curiously at the street he had just appeared in. Two rows of tidy, identical houses lined it, each with lights burning in the windows. It was early evening, and the Muggle residents had not yet retired.

"This way," his son pointed. Hadrian had again covered his scars and coloured his eyes the green they once were. Like this, he still was still recognizable as Harry Potter. Excitement rolled through his mind, and the Dark Lord wondered what his son had planned.

They stopped outside one of the tidy houses he couldn't tell apart. The number four was cast in brass and nailed to the door. Hadrian raised a fist to knock, but changed his mind and simply opened the door and strode through, his father following. Gesturing to be quiet, the boy pointed to the door to a cupboard under the stairs.

/My room, until I was eleven. He threw me in there for a week each summer after he cut my throat, waiting for me to die. I never felt like obliging him./

Voldemort understood instantly why they were here. This was the Dursleys' house, and Hadrian had come for revenge.

The family in question was in the sitting room, watching TV. The large, moustachioed man looked up as Hadrian entered the room.

"BOY! How dare you come back here?! We were rid of you and your freakishness!" he shouted, turning purple.

"Now, Vernon, is that any way to treat an important guest? I would say family, but I have found a new one. Look, I even brought my father to meet you!" he pointed to Voldemort. "Petunia, I'm sure you've heard of Lord Voldemort, yes?" The bony woman turned white.

"GET OUT! GET OUT OF MY HOUSE, YOU MONSTERS!" the purple man shouted.

"Oh, but we're having such a nice time catching up!" Hadrian pouted. The Dark Lord chuckled at his son. "I haven't even said anything to Dudley yet! Hello, Dudley, you're looking as fat as always. Like father, like son, I suppose. Did you ever wonder what it felt like when you starved me, Vernon? Sentio inedia![M1] " The purple man grabbed his stomach. "'No food for a week!' That was your favourite when I was young. No, no, Petunia, sit tight, you've a show to watch."

Hadrian stuck the bony woman to a chair. He froze the fat boy as he tried to escape and bound him in the centre of the room. He silence the purple man, who was still shouting abuse.

"Do be quiet, Vernon, we don't want the neighbours to hear! Now, what shall we do with Diddy-Dinkums here? Ah, I know, and I don't even need a wand for this. Do you remember how many little children you bullied, Dudley? How many you scared away from being my friend? Did you ever think how lonely I was, shut away in my cupboard by a family that hated me, no one to hear me cry? How cold my mind was, so empty and alone! Can you feel it now, Dudley? The pain of the child no one wants, who doesn't know what he's done wrong or why he can't fix it. The child who only wanted to be loved."

As his son spoke, Voldemort watched fat tears roll down the fat boys face. He guessed Hadrian was in the boy's mind.

"Is it the same as what you did to Dolohov?" he asked.

"It's worse," Hadrian replied. "Dolohov felt only his own feelings from his time in Azkaban. Dudley here is getting all of mine. Ten years without friends, living in a cupboard. Ten years of Harry Hunting. Ten years of wishing I had died with my parents. Ten years of 'Boy!' and 'Don't ask questions!' and 'Go to your cupboard!' and 'No food for a week!'" Hadrian angrily wiped away his tears. "Ten years and five summers of being hated by my only family."

"Not anymore," Voldemort said, hugging his son. "You have so much more now. That boy is dead, and this boy is loved."

"What are you talking about? Diddy's an angel!" the bony woman argued. Hadrian laughed darkly.

"Yes, an angel the size of a baby whale. An angel that broke my bones for fun. An angel that held the knife for his father. A kind and loving child, isn't he?"

"You were never hurt, you freak! Everything that happened and you never showed a mark!"

"Wrong, Petunia," Hadrian said in a voice like ice, dropping his glamours. "Look at all the marks you made. I never heard of someone welcoming a child home by cutting their throat and leaving them to die. Once a summer, it became our little ritual, didn't it? Do you remember how many times Vernon tried to carve about my heart? I've lost count myself.

"But the marks don't matter now. I can show through them. Shall I show you my true self, the one you helped create?" Hadrian let his runes show through, bringing life to the Bone Man. "Isn't it magnificent? I made it myself over the summers. I used to sneak off at night and go to Azkaban, you know. You recognize the place. I marked my first follower there. Now not even the great Albus Dumbledore can stop me.

"Now, Vernon, still not feeling well? I think it's time for some blood, don't you? Not mine, of course, Merlin knows I've spilt enough here. Yours will do nicely. Sectumsempra!" The Dark wizards watched as magic carved up the purple man's fat body and he silently screamed. "As for you, ickle Diddykins, I'll take payment for my broken bones now. Discutio quisque osse![M2] " Sharp cracks were heard as the fat boy's bones shattered one by one. When the cracking ended, Hadrian cut his throat with a quick slice from his wand. He did the same to the purple man, who had become a pulpy mass on the floor.

"Oh, Petunia, I've made such a mess on your clean floor!" the boy cried in mock distress. "Don't worry, you won't see it for long. You know, you were supposed to be the one to take me in because of the love in your heart. It was supposed to protect me, but I suspect there isn't any love in your heart. I think it's too small. Shall we find out? Remaneo conscia[M3] ."

Voldemort watched in amazement as Hadrian conjured a knife and cut open the still-screaming woman's chest, baring the beating heart to the air.

"What do you know? Big enough after all," he whispered, reaching in and taking hold of the organ. A sharp wrench separated it from her body. He frowned at the heart and tossed it aside casually.

"I think the wand works," he announced.

Voldemort placed his hands on the bloody teen's shoulders and surveyed the destruction.

"Your mother will be so proud."

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"I'm gonna miss you, dihiryn."

Rabastan held his tired arwr to his chest. The next morning, Hadrian and Draco would go off the Hogwarts. That night had been Hadrian's going-away party. For someone who had never been interested in a family, the Dark Lord was turning into quite the proud and doting father. It was a good thing only the Inner Circle and Hadrian's marked followers had been there. Anyone else might have exploded from the shock of seeing the Dark Lord smile and laugh and hold his son.

"I'll miss you too, arwr. Draco's gonna have you all to himself. I hope you still remember me come Christmas!"

"I will. I'll write to you this time. Änderung said he doesn't mind carrying my letters, even if he is far superior to any post bird," he chuckled.

"I still don't think you'll be safe there. Not with Dumbledore there."

Hadrian groaned and buried his head in Rabastan's chest. "We've been over this. I'll be fine. He knows I'm powerful but he doesn't know how powerful, and there's nothing to connect me to Harry Potter or the Bone Man. Stop worrying!"

"I'll stop worrying when you're safe in my bed again," Rabastan promised seriously, "and not a moment before."

"You know, you're wasting your last night with me for a while with all this worrying."

"How true," Rabastan agreed, pulling his arwr into a kiss.

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"Don't do anything that would make your father angry. He may be all kind to you, but the rest of us certainly don't want to test him," Lucius warned.

"Don't hound the boy, Lucius," Narcissa scolded her husband, "he's smarter than that. Just remember to be careful around Dumbledore."

"Merlin, why does everyone keep telling me that?" groused Hadrian. He didn't mind, though. Lucius and Narcissa had taken to him over the summer. They were the perfect Aunt and Uncle he had never had before.

"Because he's a serious threat. Don't get into trouble with him."

"Yes, Uncle."

"And work hard at your studies." Hadrian rolled his eyes.

"Yes, Aunt Cissa."

"You, too, Draco. Stay out of trouble."

"Yes, Mum."

"Love, let the boys get on the train already!"

"Hush, Lucius."

Hadrian laughed as his aunt and uncle gave him one last hug. Draco just rolled his eyes.

When they were finally on the train and in an empty compartment, Draco smiled at him.

"Ready for this?"

"Oh, yeah."

[M1]Feel starvation

[M2]Shatter every bone

[M3]Stay conscious