"Firstly, Lucius," the Dark Lord said calmly, his voice carrying the quiet weight of command, "you will deal with your house-elf. Dobby has developed rebellious inclinations. The creature has already been seen near the Weasley residence on more than one occasion."
Lucius lowered his head slightly.
"I want him dead."
"Yes, my lord," Lucius replied without hesitation.
"Our immediate objective," the Dark Lord continued, "is to place Arthur Weasley in a position from which he cannot easily recover. For that to occur, you will follow my instructions precisely."
Lucius nodded again.
"So…"
[ Ginny Weasley POV ]
I slowly opened my eyes.
The first thing I noticed was the warmth of my blanket and the familiar wooden ceiling above my bed. My limbs felt heavy, like I had slept far longer than usual.
For a moment I simply lay there, trying to piece together what had happened.
Then it came back to me.
Tom.
We had been in Diagon Alley. I remembered walking through the crowds, hearing his voice guiding me, feeling his presence in my mind while he looked around through my eyes.
And then…
Exhaustion.
I had felt so tired.
"Are you alright, Ginny?"
Tom's voice echoed gently in my mind.
I rubbed my eyes groggily and pushed myself upright.
"Yes… I think so," I said slowly. "But what exactly happened?"
"It appears allowing me to possess you placed a strain on your body," Tom replied. "You fell asleep while we were still in Diagon Alley."
"What?" I blinked in confusion. "Really?"
"Yes. I tried calling out to you, but you didn't respond. I feared something had gone wrong, so I returned you to the Burrow."
I frowned slightly as I tried to recall the journey home. Nothing came to mind.
"So… you brought me back here?" I asked.
"Yes."
"Well… I feel fine now," I said after a moment. "Just a bit like I've taken a really long nap."
There was a brief pause before Tom spoke again.
"We shouldn't do this again, Ginny."
His tone had changed.
"It's risky if the process harms you. I cannot, in good conscience, allow you to endanger yourself for my sake."
I shook my head quickly.
"It's alright, Tom," I said. "Maybe there's just a time limit to how long you can control my body. We'll figure it out."
I smiled faintly.
"And besides… I don't regret it."
"Why not?" he asked softly.
"Because of how happy you looked in Diagon Alley," I said. "Seeing the wizarding world again made you so excited. That made me happy too."
There was silence for a moment.
Then he spoke again.
"Thank you, Ginny."
His voice sounded quieter than usual.
"I feel tired now as well. I will likely fall asleep for a day or two."
"Are you okay?" I asked immediately.
"Yes. Merely strained. Piloting your body for that long requires a great deal of effort."
"Oh… okay."
I pulled my blanket back over myself.
"Goodnight, Ginny."
"Goodnight, Tom," I replied softly.
[ Lucius Malfoy POV ]
Lucius Malfoy appeared in the study of Malfoy Manor with a sharp crack of displaced air.
The moment his feet touched the marble floor, the carefully maintained composure he had carried all the way from Borgin and Burkes shattered.
His cane struck the desk with a violent crack.
"Damn him!" Lucius snarled.
With a furious sweep of his arm, he sent a stack of documents flying across the room. An antique chair followed, splintering against the wall.
For eleven years Lucius had carefully navigated the shifting political tides of the Ministry.
Eleven years spent maintaining influence.
Eleven years of pretending the Dark Lord was gone.
And now he had returned.
Returned not with glory or triumph, but with demands.
With threats.
Lucius's chest rose and fell sharply as rage boiled inside him.
"Dobby!" he shouted.
"Dobby! Get here this instant, you worthless creature!"
With a soft crack, the house-elf appeared in the center of the room, his large eyes lowered.
"Master called for Dobby?" the elf asked nervously.
Lucius raised his wand.
"Crucio."
The spell struck instantly.
Dobby collapsed onto the floor, his thin limbs trembling violently as pain overtook him.
"Bad elf!" Dobby cried out between ragged breaths. "Dobby was a bad elf! Forgive Dobby, Master! Dobby will not repeat it!"
Lucius watched coldly for several seconds before lowering his wand.
Then he spoke a single word.
"Avada Kedavra."
A flash of green light filled the room.
The elf's body fell still.
Silence returned to the study.
A knock sounded at the door.
Lucius straightened slightly.
"Enter."
The door opened slowly.
Narcissa Malfoy stepped inside.
Her pale hair fell gracefully over her shoulders, and her sharp blue eyes immediately swept across the room.
They paused briefly on the small body lying on the floor.
Then she looked at her husband.
"What happened, Lucius?"
Lucius exhaled slowly and ran a hand through his hair.
"It's… complicated."
Narcissa walked further into the room, her expression unreadable as she glanced once more at the dead elf before sitting down on a nearby sofa.
Lucius joined her moments later.
Quietly, he began explaining.
He described everything.
His meeting with Borgin.
The mysterious masked wizard.
The moment the Dark Mark had burned alive on his arm.
And the revelation that the Dark Lord had never truly fallen.
Narcissa listened in silence, her hand resting lightly on his arm.
When he finished, she looked at him with clear unease.
"But why now?" she asked quietly.
"Why disappear when the war was nearly ours to win… only to return now, when everything has changed?"
Lucius let out a bitter laugh.
"I asked him the same question."
"And what did he say?"
"That the Potters used some form of dark ritual fueled by their souls," Lucius said. "Apparently it granted their son protection against fatal magical curses."
Narcissa frowned.
"And that caused the Killing Curse to reflect back on him?"
"So he claims."
She leaned back slightly.
"Then why appear after eleven years?"
Lucius shook his head slowly.
"I don't know, Cissa."
He stared at the floor for a moment before speaking again.
"However… his presence feels different."
"Different how?"
"Like it did in the early days."
His expression darkened.
"Before the war turned… chaotic."
Narcissa squeezed his hand gently.
"And what does he want from you now?"
Lucius stood up.
"He has given me several tasks that must be completed by tomorrow."
Narcissa rose as well.
"Be careful, Lucius," she said quietly. "Don't do anything reckless."
Lucius laughed softly.
"Oh, Narcissa…"
He adjusted his robes and picked up his cane.
"This isn't dangerous for us."
His pale eyes gleamed faintly.
"The real nightmare is about to begin for Dumbledore and his followers."
With a sharp crack, Lucius Malfoy vanished from the room.
The study fell silent once more.
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Hey so sorry for ghosting the story but I lost interest in writing because the story wasn't doing all that well and I was kinda disappointed but I want to actually complete the story so I will be back to updating regularly for a week or two before taking a break so as to not burn myself out and depending on how well the story does, I might just continue with the updates...
Bonus chapters incoming today