Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to JK Rowling. I own nothing but the original characters I make.
Chapter 80: Attention
---Malfoy Manor---
"Narcissa," greeted Lucius as he entered the manor, his voice weary.
For the past month, he had been tormented by the shame of teaching Muggle-borns at Hogwarts and act like incompetent professor. It wasn't just Draco who felt the pressure—Lucius himself was humiliated, forced to play the role of an incompetent professor in front of the very students he used to sneer at, mudblood.
The Malfoy name was one of the oldest and most respected among pure-blood families. Acting beneath those he considered inferior was intolerable. But Lucius knew the truth: better to serve the Dark Lord than to defy him and die.
Fortunately, the Slytherin students viewed him differently. Unlike the other three houses, he taught Slytherins privately, showcasing his magical prowess and influence. That had only been possible thanks to Draco, who had approached him early on. Since then, Lucius separated his lessons by house, sparing Slytherin from the public humiliation during class. Malfoy represent the Slytherin and also Pureblood.
Unlike Umbridge, who had power through her position as Senior Undersecretary and could impose new decrees and torture students with impunity, Lucius had no such authority. And unlike her, he feared Dumbledore.
Dumbledore knew he was a Death Eater—of that Lucius was certain. But with no concrete proof, the old man allowed him to walk free, for now. But if he dared to torture student privately, he believe Dumbledore himself will stop it.
"How is the school?" asked Narcissa as she met him in the drawing room.
"The school? It's dreadful. I can barely stand teaching those filthy Mudbloods," Lucius muttered, frustration etched across his face.
Narcissa looked at him, unimpressed by his complaints. She poured herself a glass of wine and sat elegantly on the chaise.
"What did you expect? You're the one who wanted to become a Death Eater," she replied coldly. "Now you should be happy with your 'reward.'"
"Narcissa!" Lucius snapped, his voice rising in anger.
"Why are you yelling at me?" she retorted sharply. "Did I say anything false? If you hadn't involved yourself in the Dark Lord affairs, we might be living safely now. Instead, you've angered him, and he's punishing you by making you a teacher. What's next?"
Lucius face darkened, his pride and anger clashing inside him.
"I did this for our son. For our family. For the purity of our blood!" he insisted.
"I know," Narcissa said, her voice softening only slightly. "But it would have been wiser not to choose a side at all. If we remained neutral, we'd be safe no matter who won—Dumbledore or the Dark Lord."
Her eyes were cold as she recalled the whispers she'd heard during her most recent tea party. Women had laughed behind their fans, gossiping about her husband, the 'incompetent professor.' It was a humiliation she had never known before. Her standing among the pure-blood elite was being questioned—not because of her own behavior, but because of Lucius.
Yes, his name still carried weight in Slytherin, but not all pure-bloods were Slytherins. Some were in other houses, and their parents whispered about her family.
She hated it.
But she hated even more that she couldn't lash out at the Dark Lord. So she turned her frustration on the only person she could, her husband.
"This is all your doing," she said bitterly, standing to face him. "You brought this upon us."
"I…" Lucius hesitated. He wanted to argue, to defend his choices. But he couldn't. Deep down, he knew she was right.
He, too, felt the shame. He, too, had heard the laughter.
And yet there was no turning back.
All they could do now was survive.
---Voldemort POV---
"Severus, how was Arthur Weasley saved?" asked Voldemort, his tone cold and suspicious. He had begun to suspect there was a spy among them.
Earlier, he had used Nagini to retrieve the orb from the Department of Mysteries. But Nagini had failed, the orb was enchanted, bound magically to himself and Harry Potter. Even when he controlled Nagini remotely, there was a protective enchantment around the orb that prevented other people from finding it.
Frustrated, he decided to attack Arthur Weasley instead and leave the orb for another time.
Why hadn't he gone himself? Because his return was still a secret. Only a select few knew he had returned, and making an appearance at the Ministry would be reckless. If news of his presence there leaked, the wizarding world would go into chaos before he was ready.
After failing to retrieve the orb, he turned his fury on Arthur Weasley, who had been standing guard. He saw Arthur with his wand drawn, but the wand slipped from the man's fingers—an opportunity Voldemort didn't hesitate to exploit. Controlling Nagini, he launched an attack.
He had left Arthur to die, believing no one would arrive in time to save him.
But then the report came—Arthur Weasley had survived.
And Voldemort was furious.
"Explain this to me, Severus. How did Arthur Weasley survive?" he asked again, his eyes narrowing into slits.
"My Lord, it was because of Harry Potter," replied Snape carefully.
"What?" Voldemort hissed, his voice rising. "What does that foolish boy have to do with it?"
"He saw it happen," Snape said. "He saw himself as the snake. He witnessed the attack through Snake eyes and reported it to Dumbledore."
Voldemort stilled, his mind racing.
"Wait... You mean to say he could see what I was doing?"
"Yes, my Lord," Snape confirmed. "According to Dumbledore, Harry Potter shares a connection with you. It seems to go both ways—you can see into him, and he can see into you. That is why Dumbledore has been distancing himself from Potter."
Now Voldemort understood.
Ever since the school year had begun, Snape had sent him reports—odd ones. Dumbledore, usually close with the boy, hadn't spoken to Harry at all. Voldemort had found it strange and even asked Snape to find out why, but not even Snape had known the reason until now.
"So, he separated from Potter... because he knows I can see through the boy eyes?" Voldemort said slowly, his eyes glittering with new understanding.
At first, he felt a flicker of fear. But then something else settled in—amusement. Opportunity.
If Harry could see into him… then the connection worked both ways.
He closed his eyes and focused on his Occlumency space. In his mind, he began to see the familiar view through Nagini—just as expected. But then, he concentrated deeper and something else appeared. A second window, hazy and veiled by a magical curtain.
He concentrated harder, reaching toward it.
Interesting, he thought.
According to his experience, if he opened that curtain, he could possessed and remote controlled Harry Potter body directly. But he didn't want to alert his enemies too soon. Instead, he tried something subtle—channeling a small amount of magic into the curtain.
To his satisfaction, it passed through.
A smile curled on his lips. If he played this carefully, he could deceive Harry, manipulate him, without ever stepping foot near him.
He withdrew from the connection and opened his eyes, turning to Snape.
"You have done well, Severus," Voldemort said, his tone far more pleased now.
"Thank you, my Lord," Snape replied with a slight bow.
Voldemort turned away and gazed into the fire.
"This connection... it may be the key to everything. With it, I can guide Potter's thoughts, lead him into traps, feed him false visions."
Snape said nothing, simply lowering his eyes in silent acknowledgment.
"Let Dumbledore keep his distance," Voldemort mused aloud. "It will only make Potter more vulnerable—more dependent on what he sees. And when the time is right..."
He didn't finish the sentence. He didn't need to.
Author Notes: To read advanced chapter you can go to my patreon.
Chapter 108: Escape
Chapter 109: Ambush
Chapter 110: Death Eater VS Amelia
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