The Bookstore

Lord Slytherin was sat at the large desk in his study feeling particularly irked as he read through yet another pointless report from the Wizengomot, this one was regarding a vote that would take place at the next meeting. The riveting debate to be held was on which brands of coffee and tea should be served to the members and should a meal be offered when meetings run over and if so should wine accompany the evening meal. If meals are not provided should additional recompense be made available to the members inconvenienced if so how much.

A knock at his door let him know his visitors had arrived and saved the parchment from being set alight by him, he couldn't even begin to comprehend the sheer inanity in the compilation of such a ridiculous report, let alone bring it forward for debate.

"Enter" he called and standing he moved around his desk to greet his guests.

"My Lord" the four gentlemen chorused as they bowed. 

"Come in, take a seat" he offered moving in the direction of a neat sitting area consisting of a brown leather Chesterfield settee and four high backed leather chairs seated around a low walnut coffee table.

"Welcome Lucius and congratulations on taking the mantel of Lord Malfoy, Abraxas congratulations on your retirement" the Dark Lord said as the two men sat on the settee.

"Rambert, Xander, you are both well?" he asked, not really expecting much to be different in the few days since he saw them last.

Rambert Lestrange and Xander Nott took seats in the two chairs to the right of it leaving Tom to sit opposite them as a house elf was called to provide refreshments for the group. Once they were settled and the pleasantries had been dispensed with the Dark Lord began the meeting.

"I spoke to Severus regarding the Prince seats and votes last week. The alliances that were made were tied to the previous Lord not  the seats themselves, this means he can choose to vote with us without needing to consider a voting block that he would have been tied to".

"Does he have the intention to sit in session or will he assign a proxy?" asked Xander

"He hadn't made a definite decision when I spoke to him on Friday however, he indicated he was unlikely to take the seats himself. He has neither the time, inclination or training at present, he is still new to a Lordship he had never believed he would recieve. There is also the additional complication of Dumbledore becoming aware that Severus has the Prince seats. There is no doubt in my mind that he will begin to place pressure upon him to vote for the 'light' agenda or perhaps request that he be made the proxy for the seat" the Dark Lord sneered at the thought of Dumbledore.

Abraxas looked to his son "Has young Snape spoken to you regarding his seats?"

Lucius nodded, "He met with me three days ago and requested my assistance in understanding aspects of the Prince investment portfolio and asked me to sit as proxy in his stead" he reported and added hastily "My Lord".

"Well at least the boy is showing some sense and getting help were he needs it and from a reliable source. He wasn't raised for the Lordship as he would have been if not for his mother being disowned" nodded Rambert in thought "He has a lot to catch up on as it is".

"Today we need to discuss how we can combat the constant positive press that the "light' side has. Despite our gains in votes the 'light' faction in the wizengamot is still managing to sway the neutral votes when the important debates are put forward. 

We need to devise a strategy to pull their votes to our side, find a way to appeal to their sense of fairness and balance. We are making little progress politically, Dumbledore is as popular as ever and shows no sign of being ousted from his positions. We need to make the dark seem more moderate to the uneducated masses. A whole generation has been indoctrinated into Dumbledores ideology and the fear of another Grindelwald rising is kept so firmly in their mind's they are scared of thinking for themselves" the dark lord said, feeling wholly exasperated.

"We have been lobbying for change for twenty years now. Should we cease pushing for political change and instead move to assassination and war?" He thought out loud. If they didnt make significant change and soon another generation would be lost to them.

Abraxas, Lords Nott and Lestrange looked at each other with concern, It had been years since they last saw their friend so dispirited and non of them wanted a war if it could be avoided, the wizarding world cound ill afford the loss of life that would be inevitable. 

Not understanding what had caused the subtle changein atmosphere amongst the other men in the room Lucius chose to raise a topic that had been becoming more problematic.

"We need to discuss what can be done about the Auror Alastair Moody. He and a few of the Aurors he trained are abusing their power and becoming more overt in showing their prejudice all while enjoying the continued protection of Dumbledore and Crouch Sr.

We already know they have been making life difficult for the families and businesses in Knockturn Alley and that they have been using excessive force on numerous occasions. They are careful to target the poorer residents who have no other recourse open to them than to accept what is done. They simply don't have the finances to fight the injustice in court".

Lucius took a sip of tea before continuing,
"Yesterday the Burke family reported that a group of Moody's Aurors attempted to enter the wards surrounding their home with an illegal item, presumably with the intention to plant evidence at the home. Thankfully the wards held the Aurors until Madam Burke could floo the Auror office and requested Crouch Sr's presence. Amelia Bones accompanied him and Madam Burke explained the situation to them however, when the Aurors in question were confronted they insisted that it was a misunderstanding and that the item was evidence from a raid earlier in the day that they hadn't had time to catalogue before their visit to the Burke home.

Crouch Sr. looked like he was going to ignore the situation apparently until Bones pointed out that they hadn't followed the correct protocol. She made reference to the fact that, typically, a suspension pending investigation should be the the result of their misdemeanor. To this Crouch made some vaguely apologetic overtures to Madam Burke and blustered about the lack of staffing being to blame and flooed away leaving Bones to clean up the mess. She was very unhappy with Crouch and the Aurors whom she sent back to the ministry. She seemed to understand what had been about to transpire, though she didn't say as such Madam Burke said that she made a more genuine apology before she left" Lucius finished retalling what he knew.

Abraxas shook his head, a sneer on his face as he said "Crouch Sr and Moody are friends with Dumbledore and as such none of their questionable decisions ever result in negative consequences for either of them, it was fortunate that Bones was there, she is at least unbiased in her work. Crouch would have likely let them carry on with what they were doing".

"Crouch is going to put himself forward at the next election for Minister of Magic. When he does Moody will be made Head of the DMLE (Department of Law Enforcement). It will cement Dumbledore's positon further should that happen" Rambert said as he placed his cup down with a little more force than he had intended.

"You see why I am again questioning whether we are wasting our time by continuing the political route" the Dark Lord stated again.

"My Lord, would it be beneficial, for those of us who can, to support some of the 'lighter' appearing victims in Knockturn. The residents by themselves wouldn't make the news however, if some of those who were victims and light orientated, or at least appeared to be so, were to have the funds to sue the DMLE for any illegal actions, the Wizengamot would have to become more involved. It wouldn't necessarily have a massive impact on Dumbledore,  but we could spin it to at least raise questions about Moody and by defult Crouch?"

Lord Voldemort considered the idea, "The idea has merit Lucius. I want you to arrange a meeting with any followers whom you think will be willing to fund such a project. I will contact the shop keepers, between them they should be able to help us find suitable people who have been victims of Moody and his Aurors".

"Families who have been made victims would be best and if they have children all the better. A family man, with adorable children to provide for, losing valuable days of work and unable to afford healthcare due to the brutality of Moody and his ilk would be better suited to selling newspapers and changes perspectives. Ensuring there is a photograph taken of the shabby but genteel looking family would be even better" Xander added dispassionately, he had made a sort of study of what stories grasped his wife's attention and why over the years.

The men sat and fine tuned their plan a little more, each feeling more positive now that they had a firm plan in place. Lord Slytherin was glad that Lucius had taken his place at this meeting, his instinct that the young man would be better suited to the political route than his father had been born out. He contemplated that perhaps it was time to bring some more of the younger members into these planning meetings, if they could bring fresh ideas and perspectives to their cause it could only bring improvement.

"Thomas, I think we should revisit the conversation regarding you taking a spouse. As we have just agreed family men are more trusted than those who are single, it would generate interest and would create some positive news about you, if you choose well" Abraxas stated and looked to his friends for support.

The Dark Lord glowered at the man, "I thought we had shelved this suggestion for now".

"The suggestion is always shelved. You told us years ago that you were willing to try the political route and everything it entails before resorting to all out war. I agree that it's time you seriously considered it" Xander argued.

"That I have no desire to be constrained by marriage never seems to factor into your arguments for it" Lord Slytherin groused.

"An arranged political marriage would suffice if you don't wish to attempt the more common method of courting. Providing that that aspect is not advertised of course, it would lessen the appeal to the gossip rags significantly if it wasn't a 'love' match after all" Rambert added with his usual pragmatism to the well worn argument.

"I'm concerned that those whom I hold in high esteem, whose intelligence I rely upon to help guide me, once again can only think to suggest marriage as a political tool" the Dark Lord snarked, though he would deny it. His friends often bought out the best and worst in him, he knew the arguments for and against marriage but he had never come across anyone that he wouldn't consider it an eternal punishment to be permanently and contractially attached to.

"The papers would love to report on the wealthy, attractive and eligible Lord Slytherin, the quintessential bachelor, finally in search of love. My wife would certainly be enthralled" said Xander, wryly smirking at his friends ill concealed look of revulsion.

"Despite the disturbing picture that Xander paints, he does have a point. You need some positive press, as does our cause. It would go sone way to softening the harsh politician image you currently have, the neutral purebloods would believe that the changes you want are for the benefit of your family and they would feel that you are taking your responsibilities seriously as the last in your noble family line if you gain an heir". Rambert expanded on the idea. "In addition it has the benefit of making it more difficult for Dumbledore to promote you as an aspiring Grindelwald if you have a wife and child" he added as an after thought.

"Besides old friend, as the leader of our political group it is only right that you practice what you speak so passionately in favour of" Abraxas said smirking.

"I have no recollection of ever speaking passionately about marriage" he said eyes narrowed and eyebrow raised.

"With all due respect My Lord," Lucius interjected before his father could retort, "it is the one thing Dumbledore has refused to do. With all of his major contributions to wizarding Britain now in the past we could subtly hint that the hero of the light is aging, well past his prime and with no heir to continue his legacy it would sow the seeds of concern. We can ensure questions are asked such as, "What will happen to Wizarding Britain when Dumbledore shuffles of this mortal coil ?' and 'Who will replace him before anarchy destroys our world?'. They are valid concerns given the positions he holds within our society" Lucius hoped he wasn't over stepping but believed that they could at least make a start by encouraging people to think for themselves or, more accurately the way they wanted them to think.

This was the first time he had been invited to one of these meetings and hoped it wouldn't be the last. He had already been feeling wrong footed by how different these four usually serious men were in private together. His youth had been spent watched them ftom afar in respect and he had never imagined that this more approachable side existed to any of them but his father.

Abraxas looked at his son with pride and summarised, "Essentially we would be using Dumbledores' strategy against him. Instead of fanning the fears of another war mongering Dark Lord, we would be sowing the fears of a potential societal collapse due to one man holding so many prominent positions. It would be all the more effective if the concerns appeared to come from neutral and light supporters".

"We would need to start planting the seeds of fear and concern with care, perhaps starting with ministry workers who are not overtly political and similar people in the ICW. The sort that might be overheard by those in charge for example" Rambert said consideringly.

"Very well you have convinced me, perhaps a slower and less politically overt strategy will be more productive at this time. As to the issue of marriage, I will open myself to suggestions of how to proceed" the Dark Lord reluctantly relented.

Upon realising his guests were about to impart their wisdom on the subject of his future betrothed, he held up his hand and quickly said "Not today, if you please. Let us save something for the future planning meetings. I think we are done here for today, the next Inner circle meeting will be held two nights from now and two nights after that there is a full meeting scheduled where we will be updating our colleagues of our current plans and opening the floor for followers to put forward their concerns, ideas and information. Thank you gentlemen for your time today"

The four men recognising the dismissal for what it was rose to take their leave. Lord Slytherin motioned to Lucius "A moment of your time, if you please Lucius" the man bowed slightly to his Lord. "Is it the intention of the Hogwarts Board of Governors to reimburse Livia Snape for the work she has been undertaking there?" 

Lucius frowned slightly "No, we weren't aware that she was contributing anything to the school".

"When I visited with Severus he asked Ms Snape about the progress made towards her masteries. He heavily implied that she was helping students and staff alike, reading between the lines he was concerned about the impact the additional responsibilities were having on his sister". 

"I will make enquiries into the matter My Lord" with that he bowed and left.

Lord Slytherin nodded, moved back to his desk and picked up the next parchment he needed to review.

Nearly a week later in yet another meeting Lord Slytherin was perusing the list handed to him, "Well done Lucius, this is an impressive list of families willing to contribute to the justice for those in Knockturn. I have a list of what we deemed to be suitable victims and an up and coming reporter, Ms Skeeter, from the Daily Prophet has agreed to report on the findings and ensure the story has 'human Interest'. Can I leave it to you to liase with the everyone involved? If not someone else may be persuaded to do so" he suppressed at smirk at the speed with which Lucius accepted his task when rather than allow anyone else take control of his idea.

"It's getting late and we have covered everything we intended to, I suggest we finish here. My thanks to you again gentlemen".

The men began gathering their respective seafs of parchment when Abraxas asked the room at large,

"Would any of you care to stay for dinner".

"Thank you but no, I must be home for dinner tonight. I have been reliably informed by my dear wife that should I miss another meal with her this week I shall be enjoying a lengthy sojourn sleeping in the Owlery" Xander replied with a grimace. The other men smirked in understanding and comiseration, all, except Lord Slytherin, had been on the receiving end of that particular threat at some point during their respective marriages.

"That is what I will have to look forward to I suppose, should I marry" murmured Lord Slytherin sardonically. "I too should be getting back to my manor but thank you for the offer Abraxas" answered the Dark Lord.

"If it isn't an imposition I would be glad of the invite old friend, It will only be me and the house elves otherwise" Rambert accepted easily.

"I'm glad you will stay Rambert. It will only be Lucius, Narcissa and the Snapes to dinner this evening and I would be glad of some company" said Abraxas.

Rambert was doubly glad he had agreed to stay, he had met Severus Snape on many occasions and was curious about how the new Lord Prince was settling into his new role. He had also been hoped to meet Ms Snape for a a few weeks now, particularly as Thomas had mentioned her several times in passing and only ever in a positive light.

"Are you certain you can't stay Tom? We can't abandon poor Abraxas to the younger set without any support after all" Rambert said eyeing his friends reaction.

"Very well, I will stay for dinner at your insistance" Thomas replied giving little away.

Tom only agreed to stay because Rambert and Abraxas requested he did so, that he now hoped for an enjoyable conversation with Livia and an update on her warding project had little impact on his decision, he told himself. To give himself further plausible reasons for staying he determined that it would be an excellent oppotunity to observe the interacrions between the Malfoys and Snapes, they were all clearly close and he wanted to assess how far their loyalty to each other went. He would also be avoiding some very tedious paper work that was waiting for him on his desk and that was an adsitionl pleasant bonus.

Livia and Severus flooed into Malfoy Manor directly from Hogwarts and were greeted by Narcissa. 

"Lucius is with Abraxas entertaining our other guests, apparently their meeting ran long so they are staying for dinner" she said by way of explaination as she walked with them to the dining room.

"How is my wonderful little godson?" Livia asked.

"He is looking forward to having you look after him again" Narcissa smirked.

"Is he still vanishing his nappy off when they are dirty?" Livia cautiously asked with a wrinkled nose. Severus laughed loudly at this, he had throughly enjoyed watching the memory of his godsons magical feats and had found the image of Livia vacillating between panic, despair and pride the entire time hilarious.

"Perhaps. Surely a little accidental magic wouldn't deter you from having my little darling visit, would it?" Cissa asked with a raised eyebrow and knowing smile.

Livis deigned not to answer her friend, or 'perhaps tormentor would be more accurate these days' she mused.

Narcissa led them to their seats knowing Abraxas would want his guests sat nearer to himself that evening. Severus took his place next to Narsissa as she quizzed him on the best potions and salves for sun protection during the summer months that would be suitable for Dracos' use.

Livia had been idly listening to Severus and Cissa across the table from her when the chair next to her moved, when she looked up and saw who was about to sit beside her she smiled and greeted him politely, not realising he had made a beeline directly for her upon entering the room.

"Good Evening Thomas. It's good to see you again." 

"Livia, a pleasure as always" he said holding his hand out and taking hers to bow over. He then exchanged a brief greeting with Severus and Narcissa before seating himself. Abraxas sat at the head of the table to his left despite not being the official head of the family and Rambert sat opposite, leaving Lucius to take his usual seat to the right of Livia.

Lord Slytherin was amused to note the different degrees of suprise that Livias' use of his name had caused, Rambert seemed to be rather thoughtful, but Abraxas had looked offended on his behalf before he had responded to her in kind. The three younger observers looked to be in various stages of suprise, disbelief and wariness.

"How are your masteries progressing?" he asked, aware that the oath prohibited him from asking in depth questions in the present company.

"I will have completed them by the end of June or July if all continues as it has been and providing non of my three masters is delayed in reviewing my work of course. In the mean time I intend to begin a full scale test run, I anticipate that it will take several weeks to complete the initial rune work and ensure that it is all configured to the warding stone correctly" she said happily.

"Will it always be such a lengthy process or is your estimation solely based on this being the first test" 

"The latter, thankfully. It wouldn't serve it's purpose if it took so many weeks to put in place. I currently have Ministry representatives from Denmark, China and Brunei wanting to negotiate for the use of my ward in their prisons as soon as my masteries are complete".

"Congratulations on the interest in your wards abroad, It is truly a pity that they are unlikely to be used in Britain in the near future given our laws" he replied, when she had them working he would request a visit to observe them he decided.

Though the two engaged others in conversation it became abundantly clear, as the two returned to converse with one another repeatedly, that they would have been perfectly content to ignore social dictates and spend the evening discussing books and magic theory with each other with far more vigour than any other subject had elicited from either that evening.

Several sets of eyes and ears were observing them together. Severus was concerned, despite Livvy insisting that she had no romantic interest in the man he couldn't help but think she was either lying to herself, or to him, given how unusually at ease she appeared around him. Narcissa had begun to consider that the Dark Lord might be interested in courting her friend, Lucius had made mention of his possible intention to marry and they seemed to enjoy each others company a great deal. 

Rambert was suprised initially when he realised that his friend had given the young woman leave to use is given name, it was well known that only those closest to him were permitted that honour. This was surpassed when he witnessed the warmth with which he greeted Ms Snape and the longer he observed the two converse the more obvious it became that his friend had spent more time with her than he had told them. The conversation between them was playful and flowed easily, he was sure on more than one occasion he had heard Thomas subtly flirt with the girl and not in the purposeful manner he did so in order to get his own way. He decided to observe their future interactions and perhaps speak to their other friends about this unexpected discovery.

Lucius took the opportunity during a natural lull in the conversation between the Dark Lord and Livia to speak to her.

"Livia, I attended a Hogwarts Board meeting this morning and you should expect a letter by tomorrow offering you a wage for the assistance you have been providing the staff and pupils there" he glanced in the direction of Lord Slytherin, unsure if the man wanted his part, in the discovery of this information, to be known and saw the man give a subtle shake of his head.

"What made them decide to do that? I hadn't expected anything when I agreed to help" she said, overhearing Severus muttering to Narcissa quietly that it was the least they should do considering how much the staff kept asking of her. She sent an annoyed glare his way, assuming that he had something to do with this sudden offer.

"Parents and pupils have been contacting the board it seems praising the work you have undertaken at the school. Pupils have been sending home alot of positive reports to their parents about you Livia" he explained so she would understand that the subject had come up naturally.

Lucius looked down the table and said more generally to include the others at table "As a result of the students letters parents have begun enquiring why classes such as Warding and Rituals are not being offered at Hogwarts, many are raising concerns about the national and global employment figures and the future options available to Hogwarts Pupils when compared to Beuxbaton who have a wider range of subjects and have a relatively 'Light' and 'Neutral' Magical curriculum" he gave a satisfied smirk when he finished relaying this particular tidbit.

The Dark Lord glanced down Livia pleasantly suprised by this turn of events, she had aiding their cause without even trying and had opened up dialogue that had been shut down repeatedly while they were accused of 'trying to bring the dark arts into Hogwarts and currupt the children'. 

He wished Lucius had mentioned this earlier so they could have made further plans but he had been late to their earlier meeting as a result of the Board Meeting regardless, they needed to take advantage of the momentum as soon as possible.

"You seem to be the cause of a lot of additional post of late Livia!" Severus said slyly and at Narsissa's pointed look he continued, "Since I accepted the Prince Lordship I have received a large amount of courting and marriage requests for Livia", his eyes,glittering with humour, turned towards his sister who pursed her lips in response. Severus elaborated "I recognise the tradition of asking the Lord of the Family for permission to Wed or Court, but not one of them has had the good sense to ask the Lady in question if she was interested !"

"You can cease pretending that you haven't thoroughly enjoyed penning the scathing replies to their requests each and every time" she said with a broad smile. "I know I particular enjoyed the one who challenged you to a duel of honor because he took offence at your refusal" she finished with a chuckle.

"You can't stop there, tell is the rest of the story" demanded Narcissa.

Severus looked around and saw that the whole table was now listening to the tale, so he began, "A Baron's son had written to me requesting to court Livia, he had worded the request in such a way as to insinuate that she had already agreed and that he would like confirmation of the dowry he could expect when they marry". Seeing that everyone looked suitably disgusted at such a blatant money grab he continued, "I remembered the man in question from Hogwarts, you remember Tristram Tavistry Lucius, I sent a sternly worded reply and refused his request to court my sister. As a result he issued a demand for an honour duel. Apparently my stating that my sister would never agree to marry a man who's IQ is smaller than his wand size and who would put a niffler to shame with his money grabbing habits was deemed insulting". Severus said dryly, still unable to comprehend the sheer stupidity that one person could exhibit.

"You did also soak the letter in that Potion that leaves a person resembling a troll for a week" Livia added with another chuckle, at this Lucius let out an undignified snort.

"In the end Tavistry arrived at the Shrieking Shack at the time specified, realised that Lord Prince and Severus were in fact the same person, who he was apparently terrified of if the squeak he let out was anything to go by. The whole thing was terribly disappointing in the end, not a single hex or curse was thrown" Livia finished mournfully.

The group laughed at the tale and Thomas leaned towards Livia with a grin and said lowly "I had no Idea you were so blood thirsty".

She grinned back at him "I think many people would have a feeling of Schadenfreude in such a circumstances"