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Tom Riddle glanced up sharply as Lucius Malfoy popped suddenly into view beside the desk at which he sat in their Ministry
office about a week later. With a nod to the man to acknowledge his presence, he turned back to the mirror he was watching
without a word.
"Aren't you concerned that Potter might catch you with one of those things?" Lucius inquired. "I'm certain he would become
suspicious of their purpose unduly if he did."
"Harry won't think anything of me looking into a mirror since he does not realize their purpose," Tom pointed out. "We've
managed to place our little spy network in the homes of at least a dozen purebloods already, and he is none the wiser. Besides
which, he would not object to the idea of keeping an eye on the enemy even if he did know."
"If that is true, why keep him in the dark about it?" Lucius pointed out.
"For no other reason than that he might consider the use of mirrors to spy on people unethical, and let the cat out of the bag,
so to speak," Tom explained. "Then there is always the possibility that he may not think we are being truthful about our
intentions, and tattle to Kingsley. He was set among us as the babysitter, after all."
"Babysitter?" Lucius repeated with amusement. "I hear you're going to need one of those yourself soon."
"Ah, the news has made the rounds, has it?" he asked with a smile. "I believe the deed was accomplished before the vows, as a
matter of fact."
"Proud papa, Tom?" Lucius chuckled. "That is something I never thought I would see if you'd asked me a year ago--Lord Voldemort
pleased at the prospect of his impending paternity."
Tom grimaced slightly at the reference, then turned to put the small mirror he held in his hand away. "Potter should be here
soon," he said. "We're about to beard the big dog today."
"Really?" Lucius asked. "Are we going to visit the Goyles, then?"
"The very same," he said with a nod. "We'll need to be at the top of our game for this one."
"Perhaps we could place extra mirrors about the place, just in case," Lucius suggested.
"Only if we have the opportunity, Lucius," he answered as he tapped his cheek thoughtfully. "The last thing we want right now is
to get caught by the other team. They'd be removing our network before you could even say Merlin's beard three times fast."
"Good morning, gentlemen," said Harry Potter as he stepped through the door and removed his cloak, hanging it on one of the
hooks. Lucius, who had not yet done the same, stepped forward and removed his as well.
"Hello, Potter," he said with a smile. "Two days till the big event, I see. And how are you holding up?"
"Oh, I'm doing great, Lucius," he said with a smile. "Have you went to the jeweler for the ring like I asked, Tom?"
"Yes, I have," he said as he continued writing furiously on the report they were supposed to have turned in yesterday. "You
chose your best man well. I won't let you down."
"Yeah, it looks like it," Harry chuckled. "Don't tell me, let me guess. Hermione kept you up for another late night of reading?"
Tom winced and wrote even faster. "I'll have this finished in a jiffy, and then we can be off. You two start strategizing how
we're going to get past all of Dolores's guards in the first place while I pop over to give this to Kingsley."
"Are you sure we don't want to bring a few Aurors along for this one?" Harry clarified as Tom stood up with the paperwork in hand.
"I doubt any of them would want to go on this suicide run," he scoffed. "But you're welcome to inquire. I'm sure they can keep
the guards in check while we go inside."
"All right, I'll get my best men on it," said Harry, and he Apparated away at the same time Tom did. This left Lucius standing there
looking unsure what to do.
"Well then," he said dryly. "Perhaps a bit of staying power."
So saying, he stepped over to a small wet bar off to the side and pouring himself a glass of firewhiskey, which he downed as
he waited for the others to return.
"Oi, Harry," said Seamus into his friend's ear. "Are you sure we should be going to a place like this with the likes of them? I mean,
ain't they a pair of Slytherins themselves."
"I heard that," Tom mentioned with a false smile in the young Auror's direction. "Not every Slytherin wants to eat you alive and
spit out the bones for their demonic hounds to chew upon, regardless of what you were told in school. There are plenty of us who
are excellent members of society. Now keep your head in the game, upstart, the fun is about to begin."
"Yes, sir," Seamus answered, his voice slightly higher than usual. "Please don't eat my beak."
Tom chuckled and turned to the three other Aurors. "Ready, boys? Now remember, you're just here to keep the riffraff off our backs
till we can—deliver our message of good will toward Muggles. Think you can handle that?"
"Sure we can," answered Hannah Abbott as she flourished her wand. "I'll really enjoy taking on a bunch of purebloods. Call me a
Mudblood, will they? I'll show them who's a Mudblood."
"Well then, gentlemen," said Tom with a wry grin. "The lady Auror's got it all under control. You blokes can all go home now."
The round of laughter than followed this broke some of the tension, and then Tom indicated with a flourish that they should
proceed. The team of four Aurors headed in first, followed by the three do-gooders, or so they had recently been dubbed by the
elitists they'd been contending with.
"Here, what business have you gents got with the Goyle house?" asked a burly wizard who was lounging against one of the trees
just outside the entrance to the gates.
"Official Ministry business," said Harry Potter in bold tones, eyeing the man with dislike.
"You're wasting your time around here," he informed them as he glared back at Harry. "We don't allow Mudbloods in here, and at least
half of you fit that description. Well, all except for that traitor of a Malfoy you've got along for the ride."
"Give over, Harper," growled Seamus's cousin, Fergus as he stared at their former classmate. "You were never best at wands. Any one
of us could take you easily."
"I've had much better teachers since then," he pointed out. "I even served as a Snatcher for a while. You won't be able to take
me on."
"Here, now, there's to be no taking on today," Tom admonished them both. "The Ministry is still the ruling body of this land, and I
have been sent here with a job to do. Anyone who wishes to start something, they'll be starting it with me."
Harper's face drained of color when he heard this. He had known the older version of this man and feared him as much as every other
follower, to be sure. A fact that Tom was counting on to get him in the door.
"I'll just be heading in to see if the Goyle's are receiving any guests at this time," he said circumspectly.
"Warning them we're here, more like," Harry scoffed.
Lucius stepped forward and put a menacing yet polite hand on the lad's shoulder. "Look, Harper, I understand you've been given a
job to do, but is it really worth your life to try to stop us today? Live to fight another day—there's a good lad. We'll just be
following you in now, if you please."
Fidgeting under his former mentor's gaze, Harper nodded as he turned to walk over to the gate and open it for them to
enter. "I'll be leaving you to take your chances, then," he said. "Like you said, I'd rather not die today."
As they walked right through the gates, Tom commented to Harry, "Interesting choice for a gate guard. With such a weak entry, there's
sure to be a more worthy adversary nearby. Keep your wand at the ready."
While Tom was telling Harry this and the others had gone on ahead, Lucius quickly set a mirror in the wall of the main gates and cast
a concealment spell on it. He was quick enough to do so unnoticed by anyone either in front or behind him, as he turned to ensure
himself the Harper brat had also remained ignorant. That stalwart lad was nowhere to be seen.
"Your boy out front has Apparated somewhere," Lucius commented. "I wonder if we're to see him again in the near future, or if he's gone
off to hide. Since I'm the one who trained him, I rather suspect our presence has just been announced."
"Yes, you're probably right, Lucius," Tom agreed. They turned to face a group of five swarthy Death Eaters who were heading straight
for them.
"Can we help you gentlemen out?" asked Rodolphus Lestrange as his brother folded his arms beside him.
"Ah, the brothers Lestrange," said Lucius in his mellifluous tones. "I did not know the two of you remained alive. It's a pleasure
to see you again."
"I take no pleasure in greeting a brother-in-law who has turned his back on his friends," Rodolphus informed him coldly. "Best if
you and your new cronies leave before there's any trouble."
"Surely you must have heard, brother, that we have not come here to fight with anyone," Lucius said in a deceptively soft voice. "This
is merely a courtesy call to the Goyles to apprise them of some new policies the Ministry has put into effect. Surely you would not
wish for your new Lord and Lady to break any laws, would you?"
"The Ministry has no law that will affect the Goyles, sir," he growled.
"Still, I would be remiss in my duty if I did not make certain of this myself," Lucius said more insistently. "Will you stand aside, brother,
or would you prefer to rejoin your lovely wife?"
While the two spoke, Tom motioned for the rest of the team to continue toward the front door.
"That'll be far enough, Mudblood," Rabastan said to Tom as he stepped in front of him.
Without so much as the blink of an eye, Tom cast a Crucio on the man. He fell to the ground, writhing in agony, while the three
other wizards pulled their wands and aimed them at the advancing party. Wandfire arced through the air in all directions, and in short
order each of the intimidating wizards had been disabled, almost all of them by Tom Riddle himself.
"Wow, I guess you did already know a lot by the time you graduated, didn't you?" Harry commented as he surveyed his handiwork.
"You didn't do so bad yourself, Potter," he said. "And here you thought you needed extra Aurors."
"We're not inside yet, Riddle," he pointed out. "Let's see if we can stir up any more trouble before this day is done, shall we?"
"Come on, you lot, head for the door."
At a run, the party advanced toward the front door, but they hadn't quite reached it when about twenty more wizards barreled out,
wands blazing.
"Ah, now the real fun begins," Tom said with a grin as he started picking people off one by one. Harry and Tom put their backs together
as they advanced, and Lucius backed them up as they continued on their way to the entrance. "Keep these blokes busy, Aurors, we've got a bit
of business to attend to."
As the three entered the narrow doorway, each arranged themselves with their backs to the walls instead, eyes wide as they edged their
way forward. Tom hung back long enough to sneak a mirror into the wall near the front door while Lucius and Harry continued on. Harry
looked back just as he'd finished, and gave him a curious stare. Tom pretended he had no idea what Potter's problem was as he caught
back up with them.
"Good morning, gentlemen," said Dolores as she stepped in front of them. "Is there something I can help you with?"
"I've brought you some papers from the Ministry," said Tom in as official a manner as possible as he stepped between
Harry and Lucius, advancing right up the middle of the hallway. "You'll need to sign for them, so they know that you've
received them."
"What sort of papers?" Dolores asked sweetly, her smile as unperturbed as ever.
"You have been ordered to comply with the new mandate prohibiting the censure or unlawful abuse of all Mudbloods and Muggles,"
said Tom with a raised brow. "If you do not cease your behaviors in this regard, you will be tried and sentenced accordingly."
"And what unlawful abuses are you referring to, might I ask?" Dolores inquired, her voice becoming both colder and sweeter at
the same time.
"If you do not cease capturing and torturing the aforementioned Mudbloods and Muggles, as we know you and your cohorts have been doing
on these very premises, the Ministry will have no recourse but to put a stop to these endeavors in a very immediate, very decisive manner."
"Very well then," she said. "I shall sign for these papers and you gentlemen can be on your way. Mind you don't decimate any
more of my employees on the way out, or I shall be forced to press charges on you."
Tom implanted a mirror at the front of the hall looking into the living room as she signed, and Lucius stood blocking him from
full view of the others as he did so. After Dolores handed the piece of parchment back to him, Tom motioned for everyone to leave
again and followed at the rear, his eyes never leaving hers.
"We'll see which of us is the better choice, Riddle," she called after him. "Of that you can be sure."
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