Harry potter : Forgotten Lord

Percy Weasley had been having a very bad year; he had thought it to be the year he finally stepped into his own and out of the shadows. However, things had most certainly not gone as he had originally planned. First, he had no respect as a prefect, and often was ignored completely and targeted for pranks even more than he previously had been.

Then Penny had all but rejected him. Rejected Him! A model student! Surely the muggle-born had realized that he was the best choice for her future. They both wanted to work in the ministry, but instead she was hanging around with Potter. His mother had said the family had gone dark at the end of the last war. And now he believed it, Potter was often the source of his problems.

The worst thing about it was Potter kept acting like the bigger man, yet he was the source of the problems. Then the bastard had to go and save Penny's life and steal his chance to shine! He was the lion, Potter was meant to be the bookworm in the library, not fighting trolls.

Ron had said that the brat had just stood back and watched as he and Neville battled the beast, and then stole the credit for it.

He would have to talk to his mother, surely she would have a plan. Maybe she could brew a love potion for him just to get the process started... After all, he had it all planned out, they would start dating this year, both would be model students, then the Headmaster would give them the Head Boy and Girl positions, before getting a nice steady job in the ministry.

Eventually they would get married, have children, she would stay at home and raise his sons and daughters, whilst he'd climbed the career ladder eventually to become the Minister of Magic himself. Then his brothers would see who was truly the most successful of the Weasleys!

...

"You wished to see me Headmaster," Severus asked smoothly.

"Please sit down my friend, lemon drop?" he asked out of habit.

"No thank you, I have no interest in drugged sweets. What did you want to see me about?" The potions master asked coldly, wanting this meeting to be over with as quickly as possible.

"First, the mirror has arrived, I had planned to show it to Neville, but he's returning home this Christmas, so it will have to be done later. Does the boy know about the stone yet?" he asked calmly.

"Indeed, the lion is playing his part as you predicted and hoped for; he is just trying to find out what the stone does now. I expect he will find out by the end of the Christmas holiday," the head of Slytherin house answered smoothly.

"Excellent, everything is proceeding as I have foreseen," he replied confidently, before moving to the window to watch the fresh snow gently fall. "What of Potter, have you managed to discover anything?" he asked his assistant. As the muggle saying went, he was the good cop and Severus was most certainly the bad cop.

"No progress, the brat is wearing the Potter Heir ring; it's blocking all of my attempts. In time I'll be able to overcome them, but I expect the brat knows about the attempt and what the ring does, since he never makes eye contact anymore with me. It would, could cause problems if the DMLE ever found out.

You know Bones would love a chance to get me into the interrogation room," Severus replied with practiced smoothness, simultaneously reminding the Headmaster how many secrets he knew and that it was in the headmaster's best interests to protect him.

"Yes, yes, that's unfortunate, but unlikely to matter; I'm his magical guardian after all. I'll just drop the charges on his behalf if any appear, so feel free to carry on, worst case scenario I'll call in a couple favours and it will be buried, seemingly lost in the system never to see the light of day again. If that's fails to stop it, I'll just have Bones replaced or disgraced with someone more amenable to persuasion," he replied before slipping back into his own thoughts.

It was all for the greater good that he kept his friend free he thought. He needed his spy when Voldemort inevitably returned. Severus provided an in-road into the remaining Death Eater ranks, allowing him some warning of their many schemes, as well as provided him with a unique viewpoint on issues that could only be seen and understood from a darker perspective.

He had already heard from the portraits in the corridors outside the Puff common room that Harry had asked Susan Bones to deliver a letter to her aunt, since he rightfully distrusted the school owls. He was a smart boy to not trust the school owls, but like many other students before he had forgotten about the paintings...he was sure the boy would realize his mistake in the end, he was just too smart not to, but for the meantime it didn't matter.

He would just have to use the information discreetly and ensure that there was another explanation in place besides the paintings to keep the method from being discovered sooner than expected.

It didn't really matter in the end that the goblins were investigating him either; he had covered his tracks too well by using the dwarves and the appropriated identities of long dead men. In short, the only way the Goblins would be able to prove it was him was if he confessed himself, and that wasn't going to happen. Worst case, he would just allow laws to be passed making goblin evidence unusable in wizard courts, the dark families were always trying to get that bit of nonsense passed.

Besides, he had discreetly let slip to the dwarves that the goblins were arming themselves for war against them, as his spies within the bank had reported to him. It would result in both of them having a long, bloody, drawn-out war, weakening them both greatly before the end, since both species were too prideful to call a truce. This would ultimately restore the balance of power in the wizards's favour. If need be he could then use their weakness against them by launching his own attacks through the Ministry to restore control of the economy back to the wizards.

That was if he could remove Tom first. If Tom came back during the future goblin-dwarf war, it would keep both parties out of the wizard war. Ultimately the wizards would rise to the top, under his guidance of course, with his Order of the Phoenix being the sword. If Neville was still alive, he would play the hero, the champion of his army, bringing light to the Goblins' dark tunnels, and bringing order to chaos.

"Is there anything else, Headmaster? I have papers to mark." Severus asked coldly, reminding the Headmaster of his presence.

"Oh, sorry my old friend, I was lost in my own thoughts. Yes, you can go," dismissing his friend and watching his friend leave before turning back to the window.

When Tom finally returns he would need to act fast, he wouldn't allow that darkness to return on his watch again. Two had almost died already due to Tom's follower's actions.

Pacing over to pet his familiar, he could feel approval for his plans rolling off his friend; after all, some deaths were necessary for rebirth. Whenever the forest grew too large a wildfire would burn it down, making the soil fertile again with the rich ash, allowing new growth to take hold. Muggles often blamed these fires on campers, but in truth it was Fawkes starting the process of rebirth, allowing the new to replace the old.

In the last war he'd been too slow to act, too passive, too bound by his own fears. This time he would act both quickly and decisively. In hindsight he could clearly see how the mistakes he had made had cost lives needlessly. The Potters had been right, he wasn't a General. But hopefully this time, he could be...

The Death Eaters had been given their second chance, they had had over a decade to reflect on their ways and seek penance for their actions. This time he wouldn't hold the Order back; all the old death eaters would be put to the sword if they took up their old ways. Whilst the young they had corrupted would be imprisoned. If that failed, he would up the stakes.

He was sure that after several of the newer generation saw a few of their friends suffer the kiss, they would repent. After all, it was their very soul on the line and sometimes darker deeds needed to be done to save the rest of the herd.

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