Miscalculation - Chapter 4

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Note: I've had a fun time writing this story. I hope you've enjoyed reading it. I'll try to mix up the rotation after this chapter.
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Harry appeared in the forest near the Malfoy Manor. He watched the place for a little bit to make sure it wasn't swarming with Death Eaters. Unlike the last time he had been here, the place was practically lively. The house and the grounds were well cared for, there were a couple of carriages out front, and the curtains were open to let light in.

He couldn't recall when Draco had been born. They were around the same age, but off the top of his head he didn't know. Regardless, Narcissa was pregnant right now and he didn't want to encounter her. She would be a valuable ally if he could convince her to join. The conversations they had in the future had shown him that she never believed in the Death Eater cause. She married Lucius out of duty for her family and gave him an heir for the same reason. Her dreams of romance hadn't survived their initial courting period.

Harry strolled through the forest. It didn't take long to find the cluster of ruins he was searching for. Draco had calmed down quite a lot once he was married. Astoria Malfoy, formerly Greengrass, healed him somehow. The first thing she recommended was distancing themselves from the past and sell the manor. Narcissa wasn't happy until they let her know she would get a split of the profit.

Draco had invited him over for a tour before he sold it. Neither was under the impression that Harry would buy the manor, it was more about closure. One of the things Draco had shown him was the escape tunnel. There were also quite a few secret passages to move around the Manor without having to be seen by visitors or other members of the house. Their existence was only shared from one Lord Malfoy to the next.

Harry activated the switch that opened the tunnel. He let out a little chuckle as he stepped inside. The tunnel was made of expertly carved stone unlike the secret passages leading out of Hogwarts. There were veins of glowing crystal along the ceiling to provide light. Leave it to the Malfoy's to make their emergency escape passage fancy.

Oddly enough, he already knew where the treasury was. He had been part of the raid that searched the Malfoy Manor for dark artifacts and information Death Eater remnants. Being the Man-Who-Won gave him a lot of pull in the Auror department. He had been fast-tracked through training and they wanted him on the raids. Something about having him there made the squad feel better, plus it was great for publicity. Draco had made sure to show up with reporters to show he was involved. The gold had already been moved to another location, but the artifacts were still there. Draco had strategically position some 'emergency' funds for a quick escape to appear as though his father was ready to run at a moment's notice. Harry had been on the squad that supervised the transfer of gold to Gringotts. The Ministry wanted to make sure it was accounted for down to the last knut.

Harry came to a stop at the end of the tunnel. A few steps led up to the frame of a false painting of the original Malfoy Manor. The painting was real, but it wasn't magical, which meant it was a fake. He searched the edge of the frame until he found a cluster of runes. Once activated, he could look out through it without anyone being able to see inside.

The sound of a few voices echoed through the home. Loud laughter broke out every few moments. Thankfully, they were all male. It was unlikely that Narcissa would be home if Lucius had company over. She could smile and wave like a good Pureblood wife, but she didn't like to be around the other Death Eaters more often than she absolutely had to. Laughter was also a good sign that Voldemort hadn't taken over Malfoy Manor.

Harry opened the painting and stepped out into the hallway. He listened for a moment to get a hint at where they were. It didn't take him long to follow the sound to the study on the first floor. The public one for drinks and cigars, not the private one where deals and schemes were made. He paused at the doorway to take in the scene.

Lucius Malfoy, Lord Nott, and Lord Avery sat around the room laughing about something. He had missed the joke, but apparently it had been quite funny. Honestly, he had expected to find them torturing some poor muggle rather than simply having drinks and smoking. The scene would have fit with any sort of gentlemen's club across the country if it weren't for the fact that the cigars let out blue smoke, a telltale sign that whatever it was had ground pixie wings mixed among it, and that the men were wearing robes instead of suits.

Harry strolled over to the liquor cart and looked through the selection. The trio of Death Eaters went silent as they noticed him.

"Who are you and why are you in my house?" Lucius Malfoy spoke in a frosty tone.

"Veela Honeyed Mead?" Harry sniffed one of the bottles. "Good on you, that's hard to come by."

"I asked you a question." Lucius growled.

Harry poured himself a drink. After taking a sip he turned around to face the three Death Eaters. They had all drawn their wands and were pointing them at him.

"Potter?" Lucius cocked his head to the side.

"No." Nott cut in. "That's not Potter."

"Potter, yes." Harry saluted Lucius with the tumbler. "James, no."

"How did you get into my house?" Lucius took a step closer.

"I walked." Harry smirked at him before he finished his drink and set it down. "So, are you going to take me to your vault, or should I rip that Lordship ring off finger to open it myself?"

"You do realize you are outnumbered?" Avery flashed a feral smile.

"Three in-bred Nazi impersonators against me?" Harry flicked his wrist to summon his wand.

The trio of Death Eaters stared at his black scaled hand. He twirled it along his fingers to make sure they got a good look at it. Eventually, he'd have to cover it up with gloves, or a glamour, but for now it would be an asset. He twirled the wand along his fingers before tossing it to his left hand. That seemed to break their focus on his arm.

A cutter, blood boiler, and bone breaker zipped toward him.

Harry raised his scaled arm to intercept the spells. It had been a nice little surprise to find that the basilisk portion of his arm was just as resistant as the creature it came from. He still felt the impact, but the spell itself was blocked. Even against an experienced duelist it caused them to stutter in their casting for a moment. He hit them each with a body-binding curse and watched them fall flat on their faces. Learning to cast with his off-hand had turned out to be rather difficult. He was proficient enough ,but in a real fight he still used his main hand.

He strolled over to them, plucking their wands from the clenched grip. They stared up at him with obvious rage. He held the wands up and made the motion to snap them. Rage was instantly replaced with fear.

"Purebloods have some interesting laws." Harry levitated the trio to hover over, so they floated upright in a row. "For instance, if I were to enter your manor with ill-intent and you were to attack me, it would be counted as defending against conquest?"

Lucius and Nott glared at him. It was only Avery that understood where this was going.

"This invokes the Right of Conquest." Harry pointed his wand at Lucius' hand. "I claim the Malfoy Lordship by Right of Conquest."

Lucius screamed in a mixture of pain and anger as a slow-acting cutting curse removed his hand from his arm at the wrist. The curse had originally been created with precision in mind and was used by enchanters as it easily cut through most materials.

Harry removed the ring from the dismembered hand and placed it on his scaled index finger. He paused for a moment to feel the wards shift their loyalty to him. Four House Elves appeared in the room beside him a moment later. There was an older male elf and two female elves, one of which held a baby to her chest. He could recognize Dobby regardless of his are. The elves froze as they took in the scene.

"Lords Malfoys calls?" The male elf took a knee before him.

The two female elves followed his lead. Avery and Nott stared at the ring as it adjusted to fit on his finger. A Lordship ring was charmed to only recognize the rightful wizard who held the title. The elves kneeling to him only served to enforce their fears. Lucius' screams had changed to pained whimpers.

"Rise." Harry motioned to the elves. "I'll call for you later. Return to your duties, tell no one of this."

The elves vanished.

"Calm down, you two." Harry chuckled at the other two. "This isn't your Manor. I can't claim your Lordships."

Rage mixed with pure hatred returned to their glares. They let out a string of threats and curses that were muffled through their stiff mouths.

"Let me show you." Harry turned his wand to Avery.

To his credit, Avery didn't scream nearly as much as Lucius. Harry plucked the removed hand up by the stump and held it up for the three to see. The Avery Lordship ring disappeared and reappeared on the still attached hand.

"I would have to challenge you to a duel with your Lordship against mine." Harry explained.

Nott started to yell and try to speak. His words were unintelligible through his clenched mouth, but the intent was clear.

"You're threatening me, trying to curse me, or offering to pay me to let you go." Harry squinted at the Death Eater. "I can never tell with Purebloods."

Harry pointed his wand at Nott's forehead. The man didn't stop trying to threaten, bride, or curse him. A quick and clean piercing curse silenced the Death Eater. The dead body flopped to the floor. He turned his wand to Avery and repeated the process.

Lucius had gone silent watching the two other Death Eaters die. Harry shifted over to stand in front of the one-handed wizard.

"Now, Lucius." Harry floated Lucius over to the chair he had been sitting in before. "Let's have a little talk. Shall we?"

He flicked his wand, releasing the body-bind only to summon chains to hold Lucius in place.

"What do you want?" Lucius begged. "You said the treasury. I can take you there. Right now. I'll give you anything you want."

"What about your wife?" Harry asked.

"You can have her too." The Pureblood yelled.

"Selfless of you." Harry sighed. "You three are important to Tommy Boy. Do you know he's a half-blood?"

"He is the descendent of Salazar Slytherin." Lucius yelled back.

"His mother was a squib, and his father was a muggle." Harry replied. "But that's not the point. Just a little bit of trivia." Harry pointed his wand at Lucius. "The important question is this, why is there a piano above your head?"

Lucius flinched and darted his eyes upward. He stilled once he realized there wasn't anything above him. His confused eyes settled back to Harry.

"Legilimens." Harry said.

Most Purebloods were trained in Occlumency. It was a skill that was important to safeguard their many secrets. There were tricks that made things easier. Misdirection, confusion, and simple distraction could make slipping through the carefully constructed shields a little easier. It took precious moments to get their defense into place.

Harry tore through Lucius' mind without even attempting to be gentle. He searched for all the recent information on the Death Eater plans, locations, and the identity of the other members. Narcissa had been sent away to a healers retreat because he found her to be too annoying in her later months of pregnancy.  It was impossible to avoid the various crimes and atrocities that Lucius had gleefully done, which made the next part much easier. Harry cut the connection.

The Death Eater was covered in sweat and shaking in effort. Harry stood and crossed the space between them.

"You don't deserve this, but I will do you a kindness." Harry placed his wand on the bridge of Lucius' nose. "Narcissa and your son will be safe."

Lucius died much easier than he deserved.

"Elves." Harry called.

The male elf appeared a moment later.

"I need you to remove the bodies." Harry motioned to the three. "First, take cuttings of their hair to use in Polyjuice."

The elf popped away for a moment and returned just as quickly.

"Do you have a way to reach Lady Malfoy?" He asked.

The elf tensed.

"I'm not going to hurt her." Harry soothed.

The elf studied him for a long moment.

"What's your name?" Harry asked.

"Dibby, Lords Malfoys." The elf bowed. "My mate is Pelly. Her sister is Tenny."

"And the child?" He asked.

"Dobby, Lords Malfoys." The elf shook in fear.

"Contact Lady Malfoy, tell her Lord Malfoy requests her return." Harry ordered. "Make sure the grounds are secure, remove all portraits to the Malfoy vault in Gringotts, freeze any that cannot be moved, and then continue with your daily duties. I'll need you to guide me to the Ward Tome."

Dibby looked relieved as he popped away once more. Harry scanned the room now that he was alone. He turned his attention to the three new wands and ran a little magic through each. Lucius' wand responded with a small tingle, Nott's wand jumped out of his grip, and Avery's wand refused to work at all.

A moment later, Tenny appeared. She kept her eyes low and didn't look at him.

"This way Lords Malfoys." Tenny bowed and motioned for him to follow.

Harry stayed a respectful distance away from the elf as they moved through the Manor. They didn't look underfed or mistreated. He could only guess that things for them did not get bad until after Voldemort vanished. Tenny took him to the main entry to the edge of the Malfoy coat of arms that had been carved into the marble floor. The same glowing crystal had been used to fill the indention to keep the surface smooth. It also added a sense of power, as though the Coat of Arms was the source of the glowing, not the crystal.

The Malfoy family crest split down the center. Half of it began to lower and form a set of stairs. Harry chuckled as he noticed that there were handrails. He had to wonder who thought to install them. Most magical buildings treated them like they were an aesthetic choice rather than a safety feature.

Tenny continued to lead him to the room where the Ward Tome was kept. The passage underneath the Manor was a little bigger than the escape tunnel. It also had multiple doors instead of the single entry and exit of the other.

"Where do these lead?" Harry asked as they passed.

"Malfoys Manor has a potions lab, armory, library, and a vault down here." Tenny replied.

"A vault?" Harry asked. "I thought the vault was in the private study."

"That be one of the vaults." Tenny nodded. "Lords Malfoys has three vaults, plus the goblins."

Harry wondered if Draco knew about that. When they had come down here in the future there hadn't been any other doors. It was just a straight shot to the circular chamber where the Ward Stone and Tome were. Draco, or Narcissa, had cleared them out and bricked them up.

"I'll take a look at them once we're finished here." Harry said.

Tenny bobbed her head in understanding. They entered a circular room that hummed with power. The main ward stone and the corresponding tome rested on raised platforms. Harry quickly crossed over to the book. He flipped through until he found the list of accepted visitors. It was practically a VIP list of Death Eaters.

"Tenny." Harry called. "I want a copy of this list on plain parchment. No enchantments, just write them down for later."

"Yes, Lords Malfoys." Tenny snapped her fingers and a piece of parchment appeared in her hands.

Harry removed all of the names aside from himself and Narcissa Malfoy nee Black. He then flipped back to the active list of wards. Apparation, Floo, and Port Key travel had been blocked, which was why Nott and Avery had visited via their carriages. He disabled the anti-travel portion of the wards now that the list was down to two.

"Tenny." Harry looked toward the elf.

"Yes, Lords Malfoys?" The elf was trembling like crazy.

"I am not going to hurt you, any of you." Harry gave her a gentle smile. "I would like you and the others to stay in service to the Malfoy family under my guidance. Unless you would rather be free. Hogwarts is always in need of elves."

"NO!" Tenny slapped her hands over her mouth. "No, please Lords Malfoys, don't free us. We are good elves. We serve the Malfoy family."

"Thank you, Tenny." Harry kneeled down to look her in the eye. "It wasn't a threat, it was an option, and only if you request it. I'll have to meet with you and the other elves once I'm finished here. You can return to your other duties now. As I said, tell no one of this. No paintings, ghosts, or people."

Tenny nodded enthusiastically before she popped away.

"The carriages." Harry muttered. He had just sent Tenny away. "Tenny, a moment please."

The elf appeared once more. Her face was a mask of terror.

"Please don't punish Tenny." She flinched away from his gaze.

"Why would I punish you?" Harry asked.

Tenny shrugged.

"I don't plan on punishing you, or the others." Harry spoke softly. "I forgot something. The carriages, are there elves, or anyone else in them?"

"No, Lords Malfoys." Tenny shook her head.

"Can you get inside of them?" Harry continued.

"Yes, Lords Malfoys." Tenny nodded.

"Carefully remove anything dangerous. As well as any identifying marks." Harry ordered. "Leave it alone if it will hurt you. Set any coins you find inside of them out in plain sight. Then take them to the sketchier part of Nocturn Alley and leave the doors open. Let the scavengers have them."

"And the horsies?" Tenny asked.

"Horsies?" Harry asked in return.

"Big, shiny horsies with wings." Tenny clarified.

"Hm." Harry thought for a moment. "They're probably trained so I can't just set them free. I'll ask Lady Malfoy what she suggests once she's here."

"Lady Malfoys be in the sitting area." Tenny announced.

"That was fast." Harry muttered.

"Lady Malfoys be wanting home." Tenny nodded.

"Did she see the carriages?" He asked.

"No." Tenny replied. "Pelly gave her tea and took her to Lady Malfoys favorite chair."

"Good job, thank you." Harry smiled at the elf. "Let her know that Lord Malfoy will be with her soon."

Tenny nodded, then disappeared with a pop. Harry strolled back down the hall. He stopped at the first door. The Lordship ring glowed as he touched the handle, likely deactivating any traps or curses for unwelcome visitors. He poked his head inside to find a small library. The next was a professional grade potions lab. After that was the Armory, which he would have explored immediately if Narcissa wasn't waiting. Finally, there was the vault. Inside were two plain looking chests. He felt a wave of magic flow over him as he entered the room. Once again, the Lordship ring glowed at the sensation.

On closer inspection neither chest had a latch. Instead, there was an impression where the Malfoy Ring could be inserted. Harry slotted the ring in. The lid gently rose until it was completely open. Inside there were a dozen shelves full of neatly stacked gold coins.

"That will do." He smiled as he closed the lid.

Once it was shut he shrunk it down to the size of a matchbox and placed it in his pocket. He didn't want to get greedy, but this was Malfoy gold. It would be used to bribe politicians and buy the freedom of many guilty people. Plus, it was Malfoy gold, technically, it was his now.

"Dibby." Harry called.

The elf appeared and waited for orders.

"Are you finished with the tasks I gave you?" Harry asked.

"Yes, Lords Malfoys. Dibby, Tenny, and Pelly are good elves." Dibby bobbled his head

"Thank you." Harry flashed a small smile. "Please take me to Lady Malfoy."

Dibby held out a hand. Harry took it. Elf Apparation was much smoother than the wizard version. He had no idea why; it was just something about their magic. Apparently, he wasn't the only one to be curious about the wonders of elves. There were multiple Unspeakables that had spent years studying the creatures. A lot of interesting theories had come from the research, but there was too much of a disconnect between wizards and elves to get the magic to work together.

Harry appeared before Narcissa Malfoy. He couldn't help but smile. The usually prim and proper lady currently rested on a comfortable looking chair with her bare feet resting on an ottoman. A couple of stone orbs rolled around the bottom of her feet in as a magical foot massage. Pelly stood beside her waiting for orders.

"Lady Malfoy." Harry inclined his head. "Please, stay seated and don't touch your wand. I don't want to hurt you."

"Lord Malfoy." She replied with a stiff nod. "I take it that Lucius is dead?"

"By Right of Conquest." Harry showed her the ring.

"I don't mean to speak ill of the dead, but he always was an idiot." Narcissa groaned. "The most Gryffindor Slytherin I've ever met."

Harry chuckled.

"May I take a seat?" He asked.

"It is your house." Narcissa raised a manicured eyebrow.

"My intention wasn't to become Lord Malfoy when I came here." Harry took a seat across from her. They were even more comfortable than they looked.

"And what was your intention?" Narcissa watched him with her sharp eyes.

He didn't doubt she already had a few plans on how to kill him, manipulate him and then kill him, or turn him into her lapdog and kill him when she got bored. Probably all three.

"To clear out the vault in Lord Malfoy's study." Harry admitted. "Lucius just happened to be here entertaining a couple of his… colleagues."

"You do realize they were Death Eaters?" Narcissa asked.

"I know." Harry gave her a feral smile. "They are not the first Death Eaters I've killed, and they certainly won't be the last."

"You killed them?" Narcissa asked. "The three of them? I've seen Avery fight; he is more dangerous than Lucius and Nott. The three of them together had decimated Auror squads."

"And yet I killed all three with a wand that's not even mine." Harry replied. "Let's get to the reason I called you here."

"Please." Narcissa inclined her head.

"You may have been safe at the retreat, but the news of Lucius' death would have spread eventually." Harry explained. "I've cleared the wards to only accept you and myself. Currently, half the vault by the Ward Stone is in my possession. I plan on looking through the other two mostly out of curiosity. Not even I can rationalize robbing a pregnant widow blind."

"How chivalrous of you." Narcissa said flatly.

"I'm a Lord, not a saint." Harry teased as he played with the Malfoy ring.

"A muggle born Lord Malfoy?" Narcissa laughed. "Lucius must be spinning in his grave."

"Half-blood." Harry corrected. "My mother was muggle born." He paused. "I'm a Lord, not Merlin. Better?"

"Passable." Narcissa nodded. "You widow me, but don't intend to rob me more than you already have. What exactly do you plan to do?"

"Kill a half-blood named Tom Riddle, neuter Dumbledore, and set myself as king." Harry replied easily.

"Who is Tom Riddle." Narcissa asked.

"You know him by a name that's taboo." Harry answered.

He smiled as the realization played across her face.

"A half-blood?" Narcissa gasped. "How can you be sure?"

"Tom Riddle." Harry stated. "He was a Slytherin prefect, the Head Boy in his seventh year, and is the son of a squib and a muggle under love potion." He paused. "That reminds me, I need to destroy that diary while I'm here."

"Diary?" Narcissa asked.

"It was something Lucius was entrusted to protect." Harry looked over to where Dibby waited. "Dibby."

"Yes, Lords Malfoys." Dibby bowed.

"There should be a dark artifact, a diary, one that Lucius was given by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named." Harry explained. "Can you bring it to me please?"

"Yes, Lords Malfoys." Dibby winced.

The elf disappeared.

"You won't say his name?" Narcissa asked.

"There is a taboo on it." Harry shrugged. "I'd rather not have them pop in yet."

Dibby appeared a moment later holding the diary. It was in much better condition than it had been the last time Harry had seen it. The book practically pulsed with power stronger than it had ever in the future. Probably due to the fact that Voldemort was still alive. For the moment.

"Drop it and step back." Harry ordered.

Dibby was happy to follow the order. Harry waited for the elf to move out of the way before he hit the diary with the Killing Curse. A thick cloud of black smoke erupted from the horcrux. It let out a bone-chilling scream as it vanished.

"What was that?" Narcissa's face had gone white.

"Do you know what a horcrux is?" He asked.

She shook her head.

"That was one." Harry shot a blast of flame at the now-mundane diary. "An absolute moron uses an object to store a piece of their soul. They do this to try to become immortal. In a way, it works, but splitting a soul is not something that should ever be done. It breaks the mind and twists the body. Each split sacrifices something, on top of the murder required to complete the process."

"You know a lot about them." Narcissa spoke quietly.

"This isn't my first time encountering them." Harry shrugged.

He let out a content sigh as he sat back down. A tense silence filled the room. Tense for the elves and Narcissa at least.

"How did you get into the Manor?" Narcissa asked.

"The escape tunnel in the ruins." Harry replied.

"How?" Narcissa gasped.

"Trade secret." Harry winked at her. "Are you able to search the vaults with me? You should grab enough to leave the country for a few years. Somewhere no one will think to look for you. Take the elves as well."

"Why should I leave here?" Narcissa asked. "This is my Manor."

"Our manor." Harry teased. "This place won't be safe once word gets out that Lucius is dead. Either his fellow Death Eaters will come calling, or Tommy will decide to break the wards for a personal chat. You don't want to be here when he does that."

Narcissa nodded.

"Help me to my feet and I'll show you where the vaults are." She held out a hand for him to take.

"Tenny." Harry stood. "Help Lady Malfoy to her feet. Keep close in case she needs any further assistance."

Narcissa stood on her own power with a brief pause to make sure her wand didn't fall. She didn't seem to mind that he had just called her bluff. Instead, she held out her hand for Tenny to take, using the elf to keep steady, and led him out of the sitting room. Harry smiled at her as she walked into the hall. He didn't comment on her slight waddle, he wasn't suicidal.