the rise

chapter eighteen

A few days later another child was petrified. Some nameless Hufflepuff in her third year. Parents began pulling their children out of school, even though classes had only just re-started. Unease swept the school.

Harry liked the weekends. Tom was always there when he woke up.

"Goodmorning"

"I took the liberty of bringing you some food, I am sure you can vome up with some lie to keep Granger satisfied"

"Thanks"

They sat in silence for a moment, Harry ate the food Tom had brought up and Tom watched the rain pelt the windows.

"Everyone is talking about the attacks"

"Blaming Dumbledore?"

"Some, though his adoring fanbase is dwindling"

"Perhaps it's time to employ some help. To spread certain ideas"

Tom raised an eyebrow.

"The Weasley twins."

Silence.

"They were quick to bash the old man when the first deaths we happening, I don't think it would be difficult to convince them to spread their opinions. You can't deny their popularity"

"It would be far more convincing than Draco spouting anti-Dumbledore propaganda..."

"I'll talk to them then, see what I can do"

"Best start the day, I dread to think of the excuses you would have to concoct to escape the lions for a whole day"

"Well Hermione has a chior thing, which means Neville and Ron will be breaking some rules, perhaps we can have a nice meeting with the whole gang here around one?"

"Sure"

Harry pressed a small kiss onto Tom's mouth.

Hermione didn't even notice him arrive at their usual table in the library. Ron and Neville managed to look up from their game of chess.

"Morning"

Harry smiled. Neville was losing by less than usual.

"Have you seen the twins?"

"Yeah, at breakfast. Why?"

"I need a favour that requires their specific expertise"

"Pranking Riddle?"

"... Yeah"

Ron and Neville laughed and Hermione gave him a hard look.

"If you fight fire with fire you may just burn your house down"

"I'll be nice about it"

Hermione rolled her eyes, Ron lost a peice.

"Aw bloody hell... you're getting better Nev"

Harry spotted the elder Weasleys enter the library and leaped to his feet.

"Fred, George"

"Harry Potter, my my how you've grown"

"Last we saw you... why you were just a w-"

"I have a favour to ask of you two"

The twins sighed. "Could have let us finish our bit"

Harry followed them out into the corridoor and away from the highly populated library.

"Favour?"

"I know you two aren't huge Dumbledore fans?"

"Well..."

"Don't go telling Ronny about stuff like that"

"He might go running to mummy"

"Ofcourse. I wouldn't want Ron to know my opinions on that old man either, purely for the sake of your mother's caramel slice"

The twins looked slightly suprised but not suprised enough to comment.

"Could you spread some of your ideas about Dumbledore around?"

"It's hard to be a serious Weasley twin..."

"Nothing we can't pass on to a more trustworthy source?"

"Lee? Alicia... Angelica?"

"Consider it done, anything else Harry?"

"Thankyou guys. There's nothing else. I will see you around"

"I got the twins in"

They were sitting in Tom's room, the three of them. Harry, Tom and Draco.

"You mean the Weasley twins? They're for our sorts of ideas?"

"It was quite the shock to me too"

"It shows that neither one of you has ever spent any time with them, they are pure evil"

"We also need a target, someone to pin the blame on when Dumbledore inevitably escapes it"

"Well it couldn't be a student, and it would have to be someone who could have been at the school at the time of the first attack"

Harry glanced at Tom, and then more tentatively at Draco.

"Lucius Malfoy"

"No! My father doesn't deserve to have his name dragged through the mud!"

"People already suspect him of dark magic, it would be easy"

"My father is on our side with this, we cannot stab future allies in the back. Powerful allies too!"

"That is a compelling point"

Harry nodded. "If not Draco's father, then who?"

"We have time to fuigure this out, we will think it over and regroup... for now I am more worried about Carlos"

"Worried?"

"What if he does lose faith in us and vanishes?"

"He wont spread any sort of slander around, not for a while. He was right in there... willing"

"... I think I would miss him"

Harry and Draco's laughed died out quickly as they realised that Tom was completely serious.

"He might try"

"He wont. If he even thinks about it, we will just explain to him that it was to shift the blame and that it was only him because he is a core member of our group"

"I hope he will be okay... and not hate me"

"He wont"